iJHH 



HUB fyt $ame #ud)or* 



A TREASURY OF THOUGHT. An Encyclopaedia of Quotations from 
Ancient and Modern Authors. Compiled by Maturin M. Ballou. 8vo, 
full gilt, $4.00; half calf or half morocco, $6.50 ; morocco, full gilt, $7-50. 

The most complete and exhaustive volume of the kind with which 
we are acquainted. The literature of all times has contributed to it, 
and the range of reading necessary to its compilation is the widest. — 
Hartford Cotirant. 

NOTABLE THOUGHTS ABOUT WOMEN. A Literary Mosaic. By 
Maturin M. Ballou. Crown 8vo, $1.50. 

We have more than four hundred pages crammed full of delicious 
bits from nearly every writer of any celebrity, English, American, 
French, or German, early and modern, and it is a fascinating medley. 
The selections are made with good taste and judgment, and when one 
takes up the book it is difficult to lay it down, for one is led on from 
one brilliant or striking thought to another, in a way that is quite ab- 
sorbing. — Portland Transcript. 

PEARLS OF THOUGHT. Notable Sentences from the wisest Authors. 
Compiled by Maturin M. Ballou. i6mo, full gilt, #1.25 ; half morocco, 
$2.50. 

The first noticeable thing about " Pearls of Thought " is that the 
" pearls " are offered in a jewel-box of printing arid binding. The se- 
lections have the merit of being short and sparkling. The arrangement 
is convenient ; the selections are grouped topically, and the topics are 
arranged alphabetically. Authors, ancient and modern, and of all na- 
tions, are represented. — New York Tribune. 

DUE WEST ; or, Round the World in Ten Months. Crown 8vo, $1.50. 

It is a book of books on foreign travel ? and deserves to be in the 
hands of all subsequent writers as combining just the qualities to give 
the greater information and zest. — Boston Commonwealth. 

DUE SOUTH; or, Cuba Past and Present. Crown 8vo, $1.50. 

This attractive volume is full of fresh information concerning the 
Bahama Islands, the Caribbean Sea, and the historv of Cuba from its 
discovery to the present time. It was written during the winter of 1885 
in the regions described. 



HOUGHTON, MIFFLIN & CO., Publishers, 
Boston and New York. 



DUE SOUTH 



OR 



CUBA PAST AND PRESENT 



BY 

MATURIN M. BALLOU 

AUTHOR OF " DUE WEST,' OR ROUND THE WORLD IN TEN MONTHS " 




/ r\ n 



X 



BOSTON AND NEW YORK 
HOUGHTON, MIFFLIN AND COMPANY 

1885 






Copyright, 1885, 
By MATURIN M. BALLOTJ. 

All rights reserved. 



Z~ 16/f 



The Riverside Press, Cambridge : 
Electrotyped and Printed by H. 0. Houghton and Company. 



& 



PEEFACE. 



The public favor accorded to a late volume by 
the author of these pages, entitled " Due West ; or 
Round the World in Ten Months," has suggested 
both the publication and the title of the volume in 
hand, which consists of notes of a voyage to the trop- 
ics, and a sojourn in Cuba during the last winter. 
The endeavor has been to present a comprehensive 
view of the island, past and present, and to depict 
the political and moral darkness which have so long 
enshrouded it. A view of its interesting inhabitants, 
with a glance at its beautiful flora and vegetation 
generally, has been a source of such hearty enjoy- 
ment to the author that he desires to share the 
pleasure with the appreciative reader. The great 
importance of the geographical position of the island, 
its present critical condition, and the proposed treaty 
of commerce with this country, together render it at 
present of unusual interest in the eyes of the world. 
If possible, Cuba is more Castilian than peninsular 
Spain, and both are so Moorish as to present a fasci- 
nating study of national characteristics. 

M. M. B. 



CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER I. 

PAGE 

Departure. — On Board Ship. — Arrival at Nassau. — Capital of 
the Bahamas. — Climate. — Soil. — Fruits and Flowers. — 
Magic Fertility. — Colored Population. — The Blockade Run- 

. ners. — Population. — Products. — A Picturesque Local Scene. 

— Superstition. — Fish Story. — The Silk-Cotton Tree. — Re- 
markable Vegetation. — The Sea Gardens. — Marine Animal 
Life. — The Bahama Banks. — Burial at Sea. — Venal Offi- 
cials. — Historical Characters. — The Early Buccaneers. — Div- 
ing for Drinking- Water 1 

CHAPTER II. 

Among the Islands. — San Salvador. — A Glimpse at the Stars. 

— Hayti. — The Gulf Stream. — The Caribbean Sea. — Lati- 
tude and Longitude. — The Southern Coast of Cuba. — A Fa- 
mous Old Fortress. — Fate of Political Prisoners. — The Old- 
est City in Cuba. — The Aborigines. — Cuban Cathedrals. — 
Drinking Saloons. — Dogs, Horses, and Coolies. — Scenes in 
Santiago de Cuba. — Devoured by Sharks. — Lying at Anchor. 

— Wreck of a Historic Ship. — Cuban Circulating Medium. — 
Tropical Temperature 24 

CHAPTER in. 

Doubling Cape Cruz. — Trinidad. — Cienfuegos. — The Plaza. 

— Beggars. — Visit to a Sugar Plantation. — Something about 
Sugar. — An Original Character. — A Tropical Fruit Garden. 

— Cuban Hospitality. — The Banana. — Lottery Tickets. — 
Chinese Coolies. — Blindness in Cuba. — Birds and Poultry. — 
The Cock-Pit. — Negro Slavery, To-Day. — Spanish Slave- 
holders. — A Slave Mutiny. — A Pleasant Journey across the 
Island. — Pictures of the Interior — Scenery about Matanzas. 

— The Tropics and the North contrasted 46 



vi CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER IV. 

PAGE 

The Great Genoese Pilot. — Discovery of Cuba. — Its Various 
Names. — Treatment of the Natives. — Tobacco ! — Flora of 
the Island. — Strange Idols. — Antiquity. — Habits of the 
Aborigines. — Remarkable Speech of an Indian King. — A Na- 
tive Entertainment. — Paying Tribute. — Ancient Remains. — 
Wrong Impression of Columbus. — First Attempt at Coloni- 
zation. — Battle with the Indians. — First Governor of Cuba. 

— Founding Cities. — Emigration from Spain. — Conquest of 
Mexico 70 

CHAPTER V. 

Baracoa, the First Capital. — West Indian Buccaneers. — Mili- 
tary Despotism. — A Perpetual State of Siege. — A Patriotic 
Son of Cuba. — Political Condition of the Island. — Educa- 
tion of Cuban Youths. — Attempts at Revolution. — Fate of 
General Narciso Lopez. — The Late Civil War and its Leader. 

— Terrible Slaughter of Spanish Troops. — Stronghold of the 
Insurgents. — Guerrillas. — Want of Self-Reliance. — Spanish 
Art, Literature, and Conquest. — What Spain was. — What 
Spain is. — Rise and Fall of an Empire 

CHAPTER VI. 



88 



Geographical. — A Remarkable Weed. — Turtle-Hunting. — 
Turtle-Steaks in Olden Times. — The Gulf Stream.— Deep- 
Sea Soundings. — Mountain Range of Cuba. —Curious Geo- 
logical Facts. — Subterranean Caverns. — Wild Animals.— 
The Rivers of the Island. — Fine Harbors. — Historic Memo- 
ries of the Caribbean Sea. — Sentinel of the Gulf.— Impor- 
tance of the Position. — Climate. — Hints for Invalids. — 
Matanzas. — Execution of a Patriot. — Valley of Yumuri ; 
Caves of Bellamar; Puerto Principe ; Cardenas 102 

CHAPTER VII. 

City of Havana. — First Impressions. — The Harbor. — Institu- 
tions. — Lack of Educational Facilities. — Cuban Women. — 
Street Etiquette. — Architecture. — Domestic Arrangements. 

— Barred Windows and Bullet-Proof Doors. — Public Ve- 
hicles. — Uncleanliness of the Streets. — Spanish or African ! 

— The Church Bells. — Home-Keeping Habits of Ladies. — 



CONTENTS. vii 

PAGE 

Their Patriotism. — Personal Characteristics. — Low Ebb of 
Social Life.— Priestcraft.— Female Virtue. — Domestic Ties. 

— A Festive Population. — Cosmetics. — Sea-Bathing . . .125 

CHAPTER VIII. 

Sabbath Scenes in Havana. — Thimble-Riggers and Mounte- 
banks. — City Squares and their Ornamentation. — The Ca- 
thedral. — Tomb of Columbus. — Plaza de Armas. — Out-Door 
Concerts. — Habitue's of Paseo de Isabella. — Superbly Ap- 
pointed Cafes. — Gambling. — Lottery Tickets. — Past Life. 

— Masquerade Balls. — Carnival Days. — The Famous Tacon 
Theatre. — The Havana Casino. — Public Statues. — Beau- 
ties of the Governor's Garden. — The Alameda. — The Old 
Bell-Ringer.— Military Mass , . . 144 

CHAPTER IX. 

Political Inquisition. — Fashionable Streets of the City. — Trades- 
men's Signs. — Bankrupt Condition of Traders. — The Span- 
ish Army. — Exiled Patriots. — Arrival of Recruits. — The 
Garrote. — A Military Execution. — Cuban Milk Dealers.— 
Exposure of Domestic Life. — Living in the Open Air. — The 
Campo Santo of Havana. — A Funeral Cortege. — Punishing 
Slaves. — Campo de Marte. — Hotel Telegraf o. — Environs of 
the City. — Bishop's Garden. — Consul-General Williams.— 
Mineral Springs I 66 

CHAPTER X. 

The Fish-Market of Havana. — The Dying Dolphin. — Tax upon 
the Trade. — Extraordinary Monopoly. — Harbor Boats. — A 
Story about Marti, the Ex-Smuggler. — King of the Isle of 
Pi n e S . _ The Offered Reward. — Sentinels in the Plaza de 
Armas. — The Governor-General and the Intruder. — "I am 
Captain Marti!"— The Betrayal. — The Ex-Smuggler as 
Pilot. — The Pardon and the Reward. — Tacon's Stewardship 
and Official Career. — Monopoly of Theatricals. — A Negro 
Festival 184 

CHAPTER XI. 

The Havana Lottery. — Its Influence. — Hospitality of the Cu- 
bans. — About Bonnets. — The Creole Lady's Face. — Love of 



viii CONTENTS. 



Flowers. — An Atmospheric Narcotic. — The Treacherous 
Indian Fig. — How the Cocoanut is propagated. — Cost of 
Living in Cuba. — Spurious Liquors. — A Pleasant Health 
Eesort. — The Cock-Pit. — Game-Birds. — Their Manage- 
ment. — A Cuban Cock-Fight. — Garden of the World. — 
About Birds. — Stewed Owl ! — Slaughter of the Innocents. 

— The Various Fruits 200 

CHAPTER XII. 

Traveling by Volante. — Want of Inland Communication. — 
Americans Profitable Customers. — The Cruel National Game. 

— The Plaza de Toros. — Description of a Bull-Fight. — The 
Infection of Cruelty. — The Komans and Spaniards com- 
pared. — Cry of the Spanish Mob: "Bread and Bulls!" — 
Women at the Fight. — The Nobility of the Island. — The 
Monteros. — Ignorance of the Common People. — Scenes in 
the Central Market, Havana. — Odd Ideas of Cuban Beggars. 

— An Original Style of Dude. — A Mendicant Prince . . . 219 

CHAPTER XIII. 

Introduction of S u gar- Cane. — Sugar Plantations. — Mode of 
Manufacture. — Slaves on the Plantations. — African Amuse- 
ments. — The Grinding Season. — The Coffee Plantations. — 
A Floral Paradise. — Eef ugees from San Domingo. — Interest- 
ing Experiments with a Mimosa. — Three Staple Productions 
of Cuba. — Eaising Coffee and Tobacco. — Best Soils for the 
Tobacco. — Agricultural Possibilities. — The Cuban Fire-Fly. 

— A Much-Dreaded Insect. — The Ceiba Tree. — About 
Horses and Oxen 236 

CHAPTER XIV. 

Consumption of Tobacco. — The Delicious Fruits of the Tropics. 

— Individual Characteristics of Cuban Fruits. — The Eoyal 
Palm. — The Mulberry Tree. — Silk Culture. — The Island 
once covered by Forests. — No Poisonous Eeptiles. — The Cu- 
ban Bloodhound. — Hotbed of African Slavery. — Spain's Dis- 
regard of Solemn Treaties. — The Coolie System of Slavery. 

— Ah-Lee draws a Prize. — Native African Eaces. — Negroes 
buying their Freedom. — Laws favoring the Slaves. — Exam- 
ple of San Domingo. — General Emancipation 260 



CONTENTS. ix 

CHAPTER XV. 

PAGE 

Slave Trade with Africa. — Where the Slavers made their Land- 
ing. — An Early Morning Eide. — Slaves marching to Daily 
Labor. — Fragrance of the Early Day. — Mist upon the Waters. 

— A Slave Ship. — A Beautiful but Guilty Brigantine. — A 
French Cruiser. — Cunning Seamanship. — A Wild Goose 
Chase. — A Cuban Posada. — Visit to a Coffee Estate. — Land- 
ing a Slave Cargo. — A Sight to challenge Sympathy and In- 
dignation. — Half-Starved Victims. — Destruction of the Slave 
Ship 282 

CHAPTER XVI. 

Antique Appearance of Everything. — The Yeomen of Cuba. 

— A Montero's Home. — Personal Experience. — The Soil of 
the Island. — Oppression by the Government. — Spanish Jus- 
tice in Havana. — Tax upon the Necessities of Life. — The 
Proposed Treaty with Spain. — A One-Sided Proposition. — 
A Much Taxed People. — Some of the Items of Taxation. — 
Fraud and Bankruptcy. — The Boasted Strength of Moro Cas- 
tle. — Destiny of Cuba. — A Heavy Annual Cost to Spain. — 
Political Condition. — Pictures of Memory 300 



DUE SOUTH. 



CHAPTER I. 

Departure. — On Board Ship. — Arrival at Nassau. — Capital of the 
Bahamas. — Climate. — Soil. — Fruits and Flowers. — Magic Fer- 
tility. — Colored Population. — The Blockade Runners. — Popula- 
tion. — Products. — A Picturesque Local Scene. — Superstition. 

— Fish Story.— The Silk-Cotton Tree. — Remarkable Vegetation. 

— The Sea Gardens. — Marine Animal Life. — The Bahama Banks. 

— Burial at Sea. — Venal Officials. — Historical Characters. — The 
Early Buccaneers. — Diving for Drinking- Water. 

We left Boston in a blustering snow-storm on the 
morning of February 25th, and reached New York 
city to find it also clothed in a wintry garb, Broad- 
way being lined on either side of its entire length 
with tall piles of snow, like haycocks, prepared for 
carting away during the coming night. Next morn- 
ing, when we droye to the dock to take passage on 
board the steamship Cienfuegos, the snow-mounds 
had all been removed. The mail steamer sailed 
promptly at the hour assigned, hauled out into the 
stream by a couple of noisy little tugs, with two-inch 
hawsers made fast to stem and stern. Before sunset 
the pilot left the ship, which was then headed due 
south for Nassau, N. P., escorted by large fields of 
floating ice, here and there decked with lazy snow- 
white sea-gulls. The sharp northwest wind, though 



2 DUE SOUTH. 

blustering and aggressive, was in our favor, and the 
ship spread all her artificial wings as auxiliary to her 
natural motor. We doubled Cape Hatteras and Cape 
Lookout well in towards the shore, sighting on the 
afternoon of the fourth day the Island of Abaco, 
largest of the Bahama Isles, with its famous " Hole 
in the Wall " and sponge-lined shore. The woolen 
clothing worn when we came on board ship had al- 
ready become oppressive, the cabin thermometer in- 
dicating 72° Fahrenheit. With nothing to engage 
the eye save the blue sky and the bluer water, the 
most is made of every circumstance at sea, and even 
trivial occurrences become notable. The playful dol- 
phins went through their aquatic pantomime for our 
amusement. Half a dozen of them started off just 
ahead of the cutwater, and raced the ship for two 
hours, keeping exactly the same relative distance 
ahead without any apparent effort. Scores of oth- 
ers leaped out of the water and plunged in again in 
graceful curves, as though they enjoyed the sport. 
A tiny land bird flew on board, and was chased all 
over the ship by one or two juveniles until caught, 
panting and trembling with the unwonted exertion. 
Presently it was given its liberty, partook freely of 
bread crumbs and drank of fresh water, then assumed 
a perch aloft, where it carefully dressed its feathers, 
and after thanking its entertainers with a few cheer- 
ful notes it extended its wings and launched out into 
space, no land being in sight. The broken main- 
mast of a ship, floating, with considerable top hamper 
attached, was passed within a cable's length, sugges- 
tive of a recent wreck, and inducing a thousand dreary 
surmises. At first it was announced as the sea ser- 
pent, but its true nature was soon obvious. At mid- 



ARRIVAL AT NASSAU. 3 

night, March 1st, Nassau light hove in sight, dimmed 
by a thin, soft haze, which hang over the water, and 
through which the light, by some law of refraction, 
seemed to be coming out to meet the ship. Over- 
head all was bright, — almost dazzling with unnum- 
bered stars and familiar constellations, like silver 
spangles on a background of blue velvet. We an- 
chored off the island an hour before daylight, the 
harbor being too shallow to admit the ship. A for- 
bidding sand bar blocks the entrance, inside of which 
the water is but fifteen feet deep. Indeed, Nassau 
would have no harbor at all were it not that nature 
has kindly placed Hog Island in the form of a break- 
water, just off the town. The vibrating hull of the 
Cienfuegos was once more at rest ; the stout heart- 
throbs, the panting and trembling, of the great en- 
gine had ceased ; the wheelhouse and decks were de- 
serted, and one was fain to turn in below for a brief 
nap before landing on this the most populous of the 
Bahamas. 

The island, which was settled by Europeans as 
early as 1629, embraces nearly a hundred square 
miles, forming an oasis in the desert of waters. It is 
sixteen miles long and about one half as wide, con- 
taining fourteen thousand inhabitants, more or less, 
who can hardly be designated as an enterprising 
community. On first landing, everything strikes the 
visitor as being peculiarly foreign, — almost unique. 
The town is situated on the northerly front of the 
island, extending along the shore for a couple of 
miles, and back to* a crest of land which rises to 
nearly the height of a hundred feet. This elevation 
is crowned by the residence of the English Governor- 
General, in front of which may be seen a colossal but 



4 DUE SOUTH. 

not admirable statue of Columbus. The town boasts 
a small public library, a museum, theatre, several 
small churches, a prison, a hospital, and a bank. The 
government maintains one company of infantry, com- 
posed of black men, officered by whites. It must be 
admitted that they present a fine military appearance 
when on parade. Nassau has long been a popular 
resort for invalids who seek a soft, equable climate, 
and as it lies between the warm South Atlantic and 
the Gulf Stream it is characterized by the usual 
temperature of the tropics. There seemed to be a 
certain enervating influence in the atmosphere, under 
the effects of which the habitues of the place were 
plainly struck with a spirit of indolence. The differ- 
ence between those just arrived and the regular 
guests of the Victoria Hotel, in this respect, could 
not fail to be observed. The languidly oppressive 
warmth imparts a certain softness to manners, a 
voluptuous love of idleness, and a glow to the affec- 
tions which are experienced with less force at the 
North. Neither snow nor frost is ever encountered 
here, and yet it is as near to Boston or New York as 
is the city of Chicago. The temperature, we are told, 
never falls below 64° Fahrenheit, nor rises above 82°, 
the variations rarely exceeding five degrees in twenty- 
four hours. In Florida a change of twenty degrees 
is not unusual within the period of a single day. The 
thermometer stood at 73° on the first day of March, 
and everything was bathed in soft sunlight. 

It is somewhat singular that an island like New 
Providence, which is practically without soil, should 
be so remarkably productive in its vegetation. It 
is surrounded by low-lying coral reefs, and is itself 
composed of coral and limestone. These, pulverized, 



FLORAL BEAUTY. 5 

actually form the earth out of which spring noble 
palm, banana, ceiba, orange, lemon, tamarind, al- 
mond, mahogany, and cocoanut trees, with a hundred 
and one other varieties of fruits, flowers, and woods, 
including the bread-fruit tree, that natural food for 
indolent natives of equatorial regions. Of course in 
such a soil the plough is unknown, its substitutes 
being the pickaxe and crowbar. However, science 
teaches us that all soils are but broken and decomposed 
rock, pulverized by various agencies acting through 
long periods of time. So the molten lava which once 
poured from the fiery mouth of Vesuvius has become 
the soil of thriving vineyards, which produce the 
priceless Lachryma Christi wine. This transforma- 
tion is not accomplished in a lifetime, but is the 
result of ages of slow disintegration. 

Among other flowering trees, some strikingly beau- 
tiful specimens of the alligator-pear in full bloom were 
observed, the blossom suggesting the passion-flower. 
While our favorite garden plants at the North are 
satisfied to bloom upon lowly bushes, at the South 
they are far more ambitious, and develop into tall 
trees, though sometimes at the partial expense of 
their fragrance. The air was full of sweet perfume 
from the white blossoms of the shaddock, contrasting 
with the deep glossy green of its thick-set leaves, the 
spicy pimento and cinnamon trees being also notice- 
able. With all this charming floral effect the bird 
melody which greets the ear in Florida was wanting, 
though it would seem to be so natural an adjunct 
to the surroundings. Nature's never-failing rule of 
compensation is manifested here : all the attractions 
are not bestowed upon any one class ; brilliancy of 
feathers and sweetness of song do not go together. 



6 DUE SOUTH. 

The torrid zone endows the native birds with brilliant 
plumage, while the colder North gives its feathered 
tribes the winning charm of melody. 

The soil of these Bahama Islands, composed of such 
unpromising ingredients, shows in its prolific yield 
how much vegetation depends for its sustenance upon 
atmospheric air, especially in tropical climes. The 
landlord of the Victoria Hotel told us, as an evidence 
of the fertility of the soil, that radish seeds which were 
planted on the first day of the month would suffi- 
ciently mature and ripen by the twenty-first — that 
is in three weeks — for use upon the table ; and also 
that potatoes, tomatoes, cucumbers, and melons were 
relatively expeditious in ripening here after planting. 
Our mind reverted to the jugglers of Madras and 
Bombay, who made an orange-tree grow from the 
seed, and bear fruit before our very eyes, at a single 
sitting. 

The luscious pineapple, zapota, mango, pomegran- 
ate, guava, star-apple, citron, custard-apple, mammee, 
and other fruits abound. The profuseness and vari- 
ety of beautiful ferns and orchidaceous plants will 
also be sure to attract the attention of the Northern 
visitor. The rocky formation of the soil produces 
good natural roads, so that a long drive in the envi- 
rons of Nassau is like a pleasure excursion over a 
well-macadamized thoroughfare. We were told of a 
delightful drive of fifteen miles in length which fol- 
lows the sea beach the whole distance, but did not 
find time to test its attractions, though strongly 
tempted by the excellence of the roads. Here, as 
in other tropical regions, each month has its special 
floral display, although there are many, and indeed a 
majority, of the plants which continue to flower all 



SUBURBS OF NASSAU. 7 

the year round. We observed that the stone walls 
and hedges were now and again covered for short 
spaces with the coral- vine, whose red blossoms, so 
pleasing to the eye, emit no odor. The yellow jas- 
mine was dazzlingly conspicuous everywhere, and 
very fragrant. Red and white roses, various species 
of cacti, and tube-roses bloomed before the rude 
thatched cabins of the negroes in the environs, as 
well as in the tiny front gardens of the whites in the 
streets of the town ; while red, white, and pink ole- 
anders grew as tall as trees, and flower here every 
month in the year. The night-blooming cereus 
abounds, opening just at sunset, and closing again at 
break of day. The outside leaves of this poetical 
flower are of a pale green, the inner ones of a pure 
wax-like white, and the petals light yellow. Com- 
plete, it is about eight inches long, and from twelve 
to fifteen in circumference. 

While we drove through the suburbs, slatternly, 
half-clothed family groups of negroes watched us with 
curious eyes, and on the road aged colored men and 
women were occasionally met, who saluted us with 
grave dignity. No one seemed to be at work ; sun- 
shine was the only perceptible thing going on, ripen- 
ing the fruits and vegetables by its genial rays, 
while the negroes waited for the harvest. Like the 
birds, they had no occasion to sow, but only to pluck 
and to eat. There was, both in and out of the town, 
a tumble-down, mouldy aspect to the dwellings, which 
seemed to be singularly neglected and permitted to 
lapse into decay. With the exception of the town 
of Nassau, and its immediate environs, New Prov- 
idence is nearly all water and wilderness ; it has 
some circumscribed lakes, but no mountains, rivers, or 



8 DUE SOUTH. 

rivulets. The island is justly famous for the beauty 
and variety of its lovely flowers. It is true that the 
rose is not quite equal in color, development, and 
fragrance to ours of the North ; Nature has so many 
indigenous flowers on which to expend her liberality 
that she bestows less attention upon this, the love- 
liest of them all. The Cherokee rose, single-leafed, 
now so rare with us, seems here to have found a con- 
genial foreign home. In the suburbs of Nassau are 
many attractive flowers, fostered only by the hand 
of Nature. Among them was the triangular cactus, 
with its beautiful yellow blossom, like a small sun- 
flower, supported by a deep green triangular stem. 

The pendulous cactus was also hanging here and 
there on walls and tree trunks, in queer little jointed, 
pipe-stem branches. The royal palm, that king of 
tropical vegetation, is not very abundant here, but 
yet sufficiently so to characterize the place. Its roots 
resemble those of asparagus, and are innumerable. 
Another peculiarity of the palm is that it starts a 
full-sized trunk ; therefore, not the diameter, but the 
height, determines its age, which is recorded by an- 
nual concentric rings clearly defined upon its tall, 
straight stem. 

During the late civil war in the United States, 
when blockade runners made this place a port of 
call and a harbor for refitting, it was by English con- 
nivance practically a Confederate port. The officers 
and sailors expended their ill-gotten wealth with the 
usual lavishness of the irresponsible, the people of 
Nassau reaping thereby a fabulous harvest in cash. 
This was quite demoralizing to honest industry, and, 
as might be expected, a serious reaction has followed. 
Legitimate trade and industry will require years 



BLOCKADE RUNNERS. 9 

before they can reassert themselves. Sudden and 
seeming prosperity is almost sure to be equally transi- 
tory. We were told that, during the entire period in 
which the Confederates resorted here under the open 
encouragement and protection of England, the town 
was the scene of the most shameful drunken orgies 
from morning until night. Lewdness and crime were 
rampant. Officers played pitch-penny on the ve- 
randa of the Victoria Hotel with gold eagles, and 
affiliated openly with negresses. The evil influence 
upon all concerned was inevitable, and its poisonous 
effect is not yet obliterated. 

Three quarters of the present population are ne- 
groes, but of course all trace of the aborigines has 
disappeared. It is curious and interesting to know 
what Columbus thought of them. He wrote to his 
royal mistress, after having explored these Bahamas, 
as follows : " This country excels all others as far as 
the day surpasses the night in splendor ; the natives 
love their neighbors as themselves ; their conversa- 
tion is the sweetest imaginable, and their faces are 
always smiling. So gentle and so affectionate are 
they that I swear to your highness there is no better 
people in the world." 

The negroes are mostly engaged in cultivating 
patches of pineapples, and yams, sweet potatoes, and 
other vegetables ; a large number of the males em- 
ploy themselves also in fishing and gathering sponges. 
It will be remembered that from this locality comes 
the principal supply of coarse sponge for Europe 
and America. There is also a considerable trade, 
carried on in a small way, in fine turtle-shell, which 
is polished in an exquisite manner, and manufactured 
by the natives into ornaments. Though the Bahama 



10 DUE SOUTH. 

sponges are not equal to those obtained in the Medi- 
terranean, still they are marketable, and Nassau 
exports half a million dollars' worth annually. It is 
a curious fact that sponges can be propagated by 
cuttings taken from living specimens, which, when 
attached to a piece of board and sunk in the sea, will 
increase and multiply. Thus the finest Mediter- 
ranean specimens may be successfully transplanted 
to the coral reefs of these islands, the only requisite 
to their sustenance seeming to be a coralline shore 
and limestone surroundings. Another important in- 
dustry which gives employment to a considerable 
number of the inhabitants is the canning of pine- 
apples, a process which is equivalent to preserving 
them for any length of time. One firm on Bay 
Street, as we were informed, canned and exported 
nearly a million of pines in one season, lately ; and 
another, engaged in the fresh-fruit trade, shipped to 
the States fifteen cargoes of pines in one year, besides 
many thousands of cocoanuts. These are not all 
raised in Nassau, but this port is made the head- 
quarters for collecting and disposing of the fruit 
grown upon what are termed the out-islands, as well 
as marketing the large product of its own soil. It is 
but a short drive inland to the extensive pineapple 
fields, where the handsome fruit may be seen in the 
several stages of growth, varying according to the 
season of the year. If intended for exportation, 
the fruit is gathered green ; if for canning purposes, 
the riper it is the better. The visitor will also be 
impressed by the beauty and grace of the cocoanut 
trees, their pinnate leaves often a hundred feet from 
the ground, notwithstanding the bare cylindrical 
stem attains a thickness of only two feet. 



A TROPICAL TABLEAU. 11 

The Royal Victoria Hotel, though bearing a loyal 
name, is kept by an American, and is a very substan- 
tial, capacious building, composed of native lime- 
stone, four stories high, three of which are surrounded 
by wide piazzas, which afford the shade so necessary 
in a land of perpetual summer. The native stone of 
which the island is composed is so soft when first 
quarried that it can easily be cut or sawed into any 
shape desired, but it hardens very rapidly after ex- 
posure to the atmosphere. The hotel will accom- 
modate three hundred guests, and is a positive neces- 
sity for the comfort and prosperity of the place. It 
was built and is owned by the British government, 
who erected it some twenty-five }^ears since. At the 
time of our arrival there was gathered under the 
lofty Moorish portico of the hotel a most picturesque 
group of negroes, of both sexes and of all ages, their 
ebony faces forming a strong contrast to the back- 
ground of well-whitewashed walls. Some of the 
women were dressed in neat calico gowns, and wore 
broad-brimmed straw hats ; some were in rags, hat- 
less, shoeless, and barelegged ; some had high-col- 
ored kerchiefs wound turban-like about their woolly 
heads ; and some wore scarlet shawls, the sight of 
which would have driven a Spanish bull raving mad. 
There were coquettish mulatto girls with bouquets for 
sale, and fancy flowers wrought of shells ; these last 
of most exquisite workmanship. Specimens of this 
native shell-work were sent to the Vienna Exposition, 
where they received honorable mention, and were 
afterwards purchased and presented to the Prince of 
Wales. Old gray-haired negroes, with snow-white 
beards on a black ground, offered fruits in great vari- 
ety, — zapotas, mangoes, pineapples, and grape-fruit. 



12 DUE SOUTH. 

Others had long strings of sponges for sale, wound 
round their shoulders like huge snakes; some of 
these were good, but many were utterly useless. No 
one knows this better than the cunning negroes them- 
selves, but strangers, only touching at Nassau, they 
do not expect to see again, and there is proverbially 
cheating in all trades but ours. A bright, thrifty- 
looking colored woman had spread out her striped 
shawl upon the ground, and on this arrayed a really 
fine collection of conch-shells for sale, delicately pol- 
ished, and of choice shapes. When first brought to 
the surface by the divers they are not infrequently 
found to contain pearls imbedded in the palatable 
and nutritious meat. These pearls are generally of 
a pinkish hue, and greatly prized by the jewelers. 
Now and then a diver will realize a hundred dollars 
for one of them. From the conch-shell also come 
the best shell cameos. A smart half-breed offered 
canes of ebony, lignum vitse, lance, and orange wood, 
all of native growth. He was dressed in a white 
linen jacket, pantaloons to match, with a semi-military 
cap, cocked on one side of his head, — quite a colored 
dude. The women who sell native-made baskets are 
most persistent, but if you purchase of them make 
your own change, for they are apt to take money 
away for this purpose and to forget to return. 
Negro nature is frail, characterized at Nassau by 
theft and licentiousness, but great crimes are rare. 
If you have occasion to hire a boat for a sail in the 
harbor, be sure to find and employ " Bushy," a tall, 
intelligent darkey, the best boatman and stroke-oar 
in Nassau. 

Bushy showed us what he called a fish-whip, made 
from the whipray, a fish quite new to us, but indige- 



FISHES AT NASSAU. 13 

nous to these waters. With a body shaped like a 
flounder, it has a tail often ten feet long, tapering 
from about one inch in thickness at the butt to an 
eighth of an inch at the small end. When dried this 
resembles whalebone, and makes a good coach-whip. 
There is a great variety of fish in and about the 
Bahamas. We saw, just landed at Nassau, a jew- 
fish, which takes the same place here that the halibut 
fills at the North, being cut into steaks and fried in 
a similar manner. They are among the largest of 
edible fish, and this specimen weighed about four 
hundred pounds. According to Bushy, at certain 
seasons of the year the jew-fish lies dormant upon 
the sandy bottom, and refuses to take the bait. In 
these transparent waters he is easily seen when in 
this condition, and the native fishermen then dive 
down and place a stout hook in his mouth ! Though 
this may sound like a " fish story," we were assured 
by others of its truth. Bushy undertook to give 
us the names of the various fishes which abound 
here, but the long list of them and his peculiar 
pronunciation drove us nearly wild. Still a few 
are remembered ; such as the yellow-tailed snapper, 
striped snapper, pork-fish, angel-fish, cat-fish, hound- 
fish, the grouper, sucking-fish, and so on. Both har- 
bor and deep sea fishing afford the visitor to Nas- 
sau excellent amusement, and many sportsmen go 
thither annually from New York solely for its en- 
joyment. 

The colored people of Nassau, as we were assured 
by one competent to speak upon the subject, form a 
religious community, according to the ordinary accep- 
tation of the term. They are very fond of church- 
going, and of singing and shouting on all religious 



14 DUE SOUTH. 

occasions. Nervously emotional, they work them- 
selves up to a hysterical condition so furious as to 
threaten their sanity, but having naturally so little 
of that qualification, they are pretty safe. No people 
could possibly be more superstitious. They shut up 
and double lock the doors and windows of their cab- 
ins at night to keep out evil spirits. There are regu- 
lar professional man-witches among them, persons a 
little shrewder and more cunning than their fellows. 
The very ignorant believe in a sort of fetichism, so 
that when a boat starts on a sponge-fishing trip, the 
obeah man is called upon for some cooperation and 
mysticism, to insure a successful return of the crew. 
The sponge fishermen have several hundred boats 
regularly licensed, and measuring on an average 
twenty tons each. On favorable occasions these 
men lay aside their legitimate calling, and become 
for the time being wreckers, an occupation which 
verges only too closely upon piracy. The intricate 
navigation of these waters, dotted by hundreds of 
small reefs and islands, and which can be traversed 
by only three safe channels, has furnished in former 
years a large amount of shipwrecked merchandise to 
Nassau. The wrecking business at best is extremely 
demoralizing, unfitting any community of men for 
legitimate industry, as we know very well by the 
experience gained on our own Florida shore. Men 
who have cruised fruitlessly for months in search of a 
profitable wreck will sometimes be tempted to decoy 
a ship from her proper course, and lead her upon the 
rocks, by a display of false lights. 

In front of the Victoria Hotel are some noble spe- 
cimens of the ceiba, or silk-cotton tree, as it is called 
here, the finest and loftiest we have seen in any 



REMARKABLE TREES. 15 

country. These trees, naturally slow growers, must 
be over a century in age, and afford, by their wide- 
spread branches, a shade equally graceful and grate- 
ful. Like the india-rubber trees of Asia, these ceibas 
have at least one half of their anaconda-like roots 
* exposed upon the surface of the ground, dividing the 
lower portion of the stem into supporting buttresses, 
a curious piece of finesse on the part of nature to 
overcome the disadvantage of insufficient soil. The 
tree bears annually a large seed-pod, packed with cot- 
ton of a soft, silky texture, and hence its name. It is, 
however, suitable neither for timber nor fuel, and the 
small product of cotton is seldom if ever gathered. 
The islanders are proud of a single specimen of the 
banyan tree of considerable size, which they show to 
all visitors; but it cannot be indigenous — it must 
have been brought in its youth from Asia. There is, 
however, in these West Indian isles, the black man- 
grove, with very similar habit to the banyan. The 
limbs spread to such an extent from the trunk as to 
require support to prevent them from breaking off or 
bending to the ground by their own weight ; but to 
obviate this, nature has endowed the tree with a pe- 
culiar growth. When the branches have become so 
heavy as to be no longer able to support themselves, 
they send forth from the under side sprigs which, 
rapidly descending to the ground, take root like the 
banyan, and become supporting columns to the heavy 
branches above. So the writer has seen in Hindo- 
stan a vine which grew, almost leafless, closely en- 
twined around the trees to the very top, whence it 
descended, took fresh root, and ascended the nearest 
adjoining tree, until it had gone on binding an entire 
grove in a ligneous rope. Long tendrils of the love- 



16 DUE SOUTH. 

vine, that curious aerial creeper, which feeds on air 
alone, were seen hanging across some of the low 
branches of the Nassau trees, and we were told that 
the plant will grow equally well if hung upon a nail 
indoors. Emblematic of true affection, it clings, like 
Japanese ivy, tenaciously to the object it fixes upon. 
One specimen was shown to us which had developed 
to the size of the human hand from a single leaf care- 
lessly pinned by a guest to one of the chamber walls 
of the hotel. 

There are said to be six hundred of the Bahama 
islands, large and small, of which Nassau is the capi- 
tal, and there, as already intimated, the English Gov- 
ernor-General resides. This numerical calculation is 
undoubtedly correct ; many are mere rocky islets, 
and not more than twenty have fixed inhabitants. 
Is there anything more wonderful in nature than 
that these hundreds of isles should have been built, 
up from the bottom of the sea by insects so small 
as to be microscopic? All lie north of Cuba and 
St. Domingo, just opposite the Gulf of Mexico, easily 
accessible from our own shores by a short and pleas- 
ant sea-voyage of three or four days. They are 
especially inviting to those persons who have occa- 
sion to avoid the rigor of Northern winters. People 
threatened with consumption seek Nassau on sani- 
tary principles, and yet it was found upon inquiry 
that many natives die of that insidious disease, which 
rapidly runs its career when it is first developed in a 
tropical climate. To the author it would seem that 
consumptives might find resorts better adapted to 
the recovery of their health. Intermittent fever, 
also, is not unknown at Nassau. 

The sea gardens, as they are called, situated just 



SEA GARDENS. 17 

off the shores of the island, are well worth a visit ; 
where, by means of a simple instrument of wood and 
glass, one is enabled to look many fathoms below the. 
surface of the water, which is here so remarkable for 
its transparency. These water glasses are all of home 
manufacture, easily improvised, being formed of a 
small wooden box three or four inches square, open 
at the top, and having a water-tight glass bottom. 
With the glass portion slightly submerged, one is 
enabled to see distinctly the beautiful coral reefs, 
with their marvelous surroundings. There are dis- 
played tiny caves and grottoes of white coral of great 
delicacy and variety, star-fishes, sea-urchins, growing 
sponges, sea-fans, and gaudy-colored tropical fishes, 
including the humming-bird-fish, and others like but- 
terflies with mottled fins and scales, and that little 
oddity the rainbow-fish. The prevailing color of this 
attractive creature is dark green, but the tinted mar- 
gins of its scales so reflect the light as to show all 
the colors of the rainbow, and hence its name. 
When bottled in alcohol, these fairy-like denizens of 
the deep lose their brilliancy, which they exhibit 
only in their native element. This unique display is 
greatly enhanced in beauty by the clearness of the 
Bahama waters, and the reflected light from the 
snow-white sandy bottom, dotted here and there by 
curious and delicate shells of opalescent lustre. One 
longs to descend among these coral bowers, — these 
mermaid-gardens, — and pluck of the submarine flora, 
in its purple, yellow, and scarlet freshness. 

It will be remembered that Columbus wrote home 
to his royal patrons that the fish which abounded in the 
seas partook of the same novelty which characterized 
everything else in the New World. This was about 



18 DUE SOUTH. 

four hundred years ago, before the great Genoese 
had discovered Cuba. "The fish," as he wrote, 
" rivaled the birds in tropical brilliancy of color, the 
scales of some of them glancing back the rays of 
light like precious stones, as they sported about the 
ships and flashed gleams of gold and silver through 
the clear water." 

The surface life of these translucent waters is also 
extremely interesting. Here the floating jelly-fish, 
called, from its phosphorescence, the glow-worm of 
the sea, is observed in great variety, sheltering little 
colonies of young fishes within its tentacles, which 
rush forth for a moment to capture some passing 
mite, and as quickly return again to their shelter. 
One takes up a handful of the floating gulf-weed and 
finds, within the pale yellow leaves and berries, tiny 
pipe-fish, sea-horses, and the little nest-building an- 
tennarius, thus forming a buoyant home for parasites, 
crabs, and mollusks, itself a sort of mistletoe of the 
ocean. The young of the mackerel and the herring 
glance all about just beneath the surface near the 
shore, like myriad pieces of silver. Now and again 
that particolored formation of marine life, the Por- 
tuguese man-of-war, is observed, its long ventral fins 
spread out like human fingers to steady it upon the 
surface of the water. Verily, the German scientist 
who says there is more of animal life beneath the 
surface of the sea than above it cannot be far amiss. 
This seems to be the more reasonable when we con- 
sider the relative proportions of land and water. 
The whole surface of the globe is supposed to have 
an area of about two hundred million square miles. 
Of these only about fifty millions are dry land. 
Within the harbor of Nassau the divisions of shoal 



BURIAL AT SEA. 19 

and deep water presented most singular and clearly- 
defined lines of color, azure, purple, and orange-leaf 
green, — so marked as to be visible half a mile away. 
All was beneath a sky so deeply and serenely blue 
as constantly to recall the arching heavens of middle 
India. 

The Bahama Banks is a familiar expression to 
most of us, but perhaps few clearly understand the 
significance of the term, which is applied to a remark- 
able plateau at the western extremity of the archi- 
pelago, occupying a space between two and three 
hundred miles long, and about one third as wide. 
These banks, as they are called, rise almost perpen- 
dicularly from an unfathomable depth of water, and 
are of coral formation. In sailing over them the 
bottom is distinctly seen from the ship's deck, the 
depth of water being almost uniformly forty to fifty 
feet. Some years since, when the author was crossing 
these banks in a sailing ship, a death occurred among 
the foremast hands, and the usual sea burial followed. 
The corpse was sewn up in a hammock, with iron 
weights at the feet, the more readily to sink it. 
After reading the burial service the body was 
launched into the sea from a grating rigged out of a 
gangway amidship. The waters were perfectly calm, 
and the barque had but little headway. Indeed, we 
lay almost as still as though anchored, so that the 
body was seen to descend slowly alongside until it 
reached the calcareous, sandy bottom, where it as- 
sumed an upright and strangely lifelike position, as 
though standing upon its feet. An ominous silence 
reigned among the watching crew, and it was a 
decided relief to all hands when a northerly wind 
sprang up, filling the canvas and giving the vessel 
steerage way. 



20 DUE SOUTH. 

So many years have passed since the occurrence 
of the scene just related that we may give its sequel 
without impropriety, though, at the same time, we 
expose the venal character of Spanish officials. The 
man we buried on the Bahama Banks had died of 
small-pox, though no other person on board showed 
any symptoms of the disease. On entering the har- 
bor of Havana, three days later, we had been hailed 
from Moro Castle and had returned the usual answer. 
A couple of doubloons in gold made the boarding 
officer conveniently blind, and a similar fee thrust 
quietly into the doctor's hand insured a " clean bill 
of health," under which we were permitted to land ! 
The alternative was twenty-one days' quarantine. 

Fort Montague, mounting four rusty guns, "with 
ne'er a touch-hole to any on 'em," as Bushy informed 
us, stands upon a projecting point about a mile from 
the town of Nassau, the road thither forming a de- 
lightful evening promenade, or drive. The fort is 
old, crumbling, and time-worn, but was once occupied 
by the buccaneers as a most important stronghold 
commanding the narrow channel. These sea-robbers 
imposed a heavy tax upon all shipping passing this 
way, and for many years realized a large income from 
this source. It was only piracy in another form. 
Most vessels found it cheaper to pay than to fight. 
When the notorious Black Beard had his head- 
quarters at Nassau, he sought no such pretext, but 
preyed upon all commerce alike, provided the vessels 
were not too well armed to be captured. This 
notorious pirate had an innate love for cruelty, and 
often tortured his captives without any apparent 
purpose, after the fashion of our Western Indians. 
When the English lashed the mutineers of Delhi and 



NOTABLE CHARACTERS. 21 

Cawnpore to the muzzles of their cannon and blew 
them to pieces, they were enacting no new tragedy ; 
legend and history tell us that Black Beard, the 
pirate of the Windward Passage, set them that 
example many years before. His rule was to mur- 
der all prisoners who would not join his ship, and 
those whom he took fighting, that is, with arms in 
their hands, were subjected to torture, one form of 
which, was that of lashing captives to the cannon's 
mouth and applying the match. Fort Montague is 
not occupied by even a corporal's guard to-day, and 
is of no efficiency whatever against modern gunnery. 
The reader will thus observe that the principal busi- 
ness which has engaged Nassau heretofore has been 
wrecking, buccaneering, privateering, and blockade 
running. 

Some noted characters have found an asylum here, 
first and last. After Lord Dunmore left Virginia he 
sought official position and made a home on the isl- 
and. He was appointed governor, and some of the 
buildings erected by him are still pointed out to the 
visitor, especially that known as the Old Fort, just 
back of the Victoria Hotel, crowning the height. 
His summer seat, known as the Hermitage, is a quaint 
old place, still in fair condition, and surrounded by 
oaks and cocoanut trees, near the sea. Such matters 
do not often get into history, but legend tells us that 
some strange orgies took place at the Hermitage, 
where the play was for heavy stakes, and the drinking 
was of a similar excessive character. 

Another well-known individual who sought to 
make a home here, and also to escape from all for- 
mer associations, was the notorious Blennerhasset, a 
name familiar in connection with Aaron Burr. After 



22 DUE SOUTH. 

his trial, it will be remembered that he suddenly 
disappeared, and was heard of no more. He left his 
country for his country's good, changing his name to 
that of Carr. His objective point was Nassau ; there 
his undoubted talent and legal ability were duly rec- 
ognized and he was appointed government attorney, 
officiating in that capacity for a number of years. 
Having deserted his first wife, he found another to 
console him upon the island. At last wife number 
one appeared upon the island. She had discovered 
his hiding-place, and a domestic war ensued. Wife 
number two carried the day and the rightful spouse 
was sent away and paid an annuity to keep away. 
The pretended Mr. Carr is said to have finally lapsed 
into habits of excessive intemperance, and to have 
found a stranger's grave on the island. 

Much of the drinking water, and certainly the best 
in use at Nassau, as well as on some of the neighbor- 
ing islands, is procured in a remarkable, though very 
simple manner, from the sea. Not far from shore, 
on the coral reefs, there are never-failing fresh water 
springs, bubbling up from the bottom through the 
salt water with such force as clearly to indicate their 
locality. Over these ocean springs the people place 
sunken barrels filled with sand, one above another, 
the bottoms and tops being displaced. The fresh 
water is thus conducted to the surface through the 
column of sand, which forms a perfect filterer. Such 
a crude arrangement is only temporary, liable to be 
displaced by any severe storm which should agitate 
the surrounding waters. If destroyed in the hurri- 
cane season, these structures are not renewed until 
settled weather. In so small and low lying an island 
as that of Nassau, it is very plain that this crystal 



SUBMERGED SPRINGS. 23 

liquid, pure and tasteless, cannot come from any rain- 
fall upon the soil, and its existence, therefore, suggests 
a problem, the solving of which we submit to the sci- 
entists. 

On the arid shores of the Persian Gulf, where rain 
so seldom falls, and where there are no rills to refresh 
the parched soil, fresh water is also obtained from 
submerged springs beneath the salt water. Here it 
is brought to the surface by divers, who descend with 
a leather bag, the mouth of which being opened over 
the bubbling spring is quickly filled and closed again, 
being drawn to the surface by those who are left there 
to assist the diver, who hastens upward for air. In de- 
scending his feet are weighted with stones, which be- 
ing cast off at the proper moment, he naturally rises 
at once to the surface. This operation is repeated 
until a sufficient quantity of fresh water is procured. 
There is no mystery, however, as to the source of 
these springs. The rain first falls on the distant 
mountains, and finding its way downward through the 
fissures of rocky ledges, pursues its course until it 
gushes forth in the bed of the gulf. 



CHAPTER II. 

Among the Islands. — San Salvador.— A Glimpse at the Stars. — Hay- 
ti. — The Gulf Stream. — The Caribbean Sea. — Latitude and Lon- 
gitude. — The Southern Coast of Cuba. — A Famous Old Fortress. 
— Fate of Political Prisoners. — The Oldest City in Cuba. — The 
Aborigines. — Cuban Cathedrals. — Drinking Saloons. — Dogs, 
Horses, and Coolies. — Scenes in Santiago de Cuba. — Devoured by 
Sharks. — Lying at Anchor. — Wreck of a Historic Ship. — Cuban 
Circulating Medium. — Tropical Temperature. 

After leaving Nassau we stood northward for half 
a day in order to get a safe and proper channel out 
of the crooked Bahamas, where there is more of shoal 
than of navigable waters, leaving a score of small 
islands behind us inhabited only by turtles, flamingoes, 
and sea birds. But we were soon steaming due 
south again towards our objective point, the island of 
Cuba, five hundred miles away. San Salvador was 
sighted on our starboard bow, the spot where Colum- 
bus first landed in the New World, though even this 
fact has not escaped the specious arguments of the 
iconoclasts. Nevertheless, we gazed upon it with rev- 
erent credulity. It will be found laid down on most 
English maps as Cat Island, and is now the home of 
two or three thousand colored people. San Salvador 
is nearly as large as New Providence, and is said to 
claim some special advantages over that island in the 
quality of its fruits. It is claimed that the oranges 
grown here are the sweetest and best in the world, 
the same excellence being attributed to its abundant 
yield of pineapples and other tropical fruits. 



AMONG THE ISLANDS. 25 

There are so many of these small islands in the 
Bahama group that the geographers may be excused 
for the heterogeneous manner in which they have 
placed them on the common' maps. To find their 
true and relative position one must consult the sail- 
ing-charts, where absolute correctness is supposed to 
be found, a prime necessity in such intricate naviga- 
tion. The total population of the Bahamas has been 
ascertained, by census, to be a fraction less than forty 
thousand. 

The voyager in these latitudes is constantly saluted 
by gentle breezes impregnated with tropical fragrance, 
intensified in effect by the distant view of cocoanut, 
palmetto, and banana trees, clothing the islands and 
growing down to the water's very edge. As we glide 
along, gazing shoreward, now and again little groups 
of swallows seem to be flitting only a few feet above 
the water for a considerable distance, and then sud- 
denly disappearing beneath the waves. These are 
flying-fish enjoying an air bath, either in frolic or in 
fear ; pursued, may be, by some aqueous enemy, to es- 
cape from whom they essay these aerial flights. The 
numerous islands, very many of which are uninhab- 
ited, have yet their recorded names, more or less 
characteristic, such as Rum Key, Turk's Island, — fa- 
mous for the export of salt, — Bird Rock, Fortune 
Island, Great and Little Inagua, Crooked Island, and 
so on, all more or less noted for the disastrous wrecks 
which have occurred on their low coralline shores. 
Our Northern cities are largely dependent upon the 
Bahamas for their early annual supplies of pineap- 
ples, cocoanuts, oranges, bananas, and some vegeta- 
bles, in which they are all more or less prolific. Here 
also is the harvest field of the conchologist, the beaches 



26 DUE SOUTH. 

and coral reefs affording an abundant supply of ex- 
quisitely colored shells, of all imaginable shapes, in- 
cluding the large and valuable conch-shell, of which 
many thousand dollars*' worth are annually exported, 
the contents first serving the divers for food. 

It was interesting to remain on deck at night and 
watch the heavens, as we glided silently through the 
phosphorescent sea. Was it possible the grand lumi- 
nary, which rendered objects so plain that one could 
almost read fine print with no other help, shone 
solety by borrowed light ? We all know it to be so, 
and also that Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn shine 
in a similar manner with light reflected from the sun. 
It was curious to adjust the telescope and bring the 
starry system nearer to the vision. If we direct our 
gaze upon a planet we find its disk sharply defined ; 
change the direction and let it rest upon a star, and 
we have only a point of light, more or less brilliant. 
The glass reveals to us the fact that the star-dust 
which we call the Milky Way is an aggregation of 
innumerable single suns. Sweeping the arching blue 
with the telescope, we find some stars are golden, 
some green, others purple, many silvery-white, and 
some are twins. Probably there is no such thing as 
stars of the first and second magnitude, as the com- 
mon expression names them. It is most likely only a 
question of distance which regulates the brightness 
to our vision. Science reduces the distances of heav- 
enly bodies from our earth to figures, but they are so 
immense as to be simply bewildering. At the North 
the moon is silvery, but in tropical skies at night it 
becomes golden, glowing, and luxurious in its splendor, 
never pale and wan as it seems with us. 

When the lonely lighthouse which marks Cape 



HAYTI. 27 

Maysi, at the easterly point of Cuba, hove in sight on 
the starboard bow, the dim form of the mountains 
of Hayti was also visible on the opposite horizon. A 
subterranean connection is believed to exist between 
the mountain ranges of the two islands. 

When the outline of the Haytian mountains was 
in view, it was very natural to express a wish to visit 
the island at some convenient time. This led to some 
intelligent and interesting remarks from a compagnon 
de voyage, who had resided for two years at Port-au- 
Prince, the capital. " Unless you are compelled to 
land there," said he, " I advise you to avoid Hayti." 
He fully confirmed the reports of its barbarous con- 
dition, and declared it to be in a rapid decadence, as 
regarded every desirable element of civilization. In 
the country, a short distance from either Gonaives, 
Jacmel, or Port-au-Prince, where the mass of the 
negro population live, Voudou worship and canni- 
balism are quite common at the present time. The 
influence of the Voudou priests is so much feared 
by the government that the horrible practice is little 
interfered with. When the officials are forced to 
take cognizance of the crime, the lightest possible 
punishment is imposed upon the convicted parties. 
The island of San Domingo is about half the size 
of Cuba, Hayti occupying one third of the western 
portion, the rest of the territory belonging to the 
republic of San Domingo. " As to Port-au-Prince," 
said our informant, "it is the dirtiest place I have 
ever seen in any part of the world." Nevertheless, 
the historic interest clustering about the island is 
very great. It was the seat of the first Spanish colony 
founded in the New World. Its soil has been bathed 
in the blood of Europeans as well as of its aborig- 



28 DUE SOUTH. 

inal inhabitants. For three hundred years it was the 
arena of fierce struggles between the French, Spaniards, 
and English, passing alternately under the dominion 
of each of these powers, until finally, torn by insurrec- 
tion and civil war, in 1804 it achieved its indepen- 
dence. The city of San Domingo, capital of the 
republic, is the oldest existing settlement by white 
men in the New World, having been founded in 1494 
by Bartholomew Columbus. It contains to-day a lit- 
tle less than seven thousand inhabitants. 

We gave Cape May si a wide berth, as a dangerous 
reef makes out from the land, eastward, for a mile or 
more. The fixed light at this point is a hundred 
and thirty feet above sea level, and is visible nearly 
twenty miles off shore. 

We were running through the Windward Passage, 
as it was called by the early navigators, and whence 
one branch of the Gulf Stream finds its way north- 
ward. The Gulf Stream ! Who can explain the 
mystery of its motive power ; what keeps its tepid 
waters in a course of thousands of miles from mingling 
with the rest of the sea ; whence does it come ? The 
accepted theories are familiar enough, but we do not 
believe them. Maury says the Gulf of Mexico is its 
fountain, and its mouth is the Arctic Sea. The 
maps make the eastern shore of Cuba terminate as 
sharply as a needle's point, but it proved to be very 
blunt in reality, as it forms the gateway to the Carib- 
bean Sea, where the irregular coast line runs due 
north and south for the distance of many leagues. It 
is a low, rocky shore for the most part, but rises 
gradually as it recedes inland, until it assumes the 
form of hills so lofty as to merit the designation of 
mountains. 



SOUTHERN COAST OF CUBA. 29 

There was on board of our ship an intelligent resi- 
dent of Santiago, who was enthusiastic in his descrip- 
tion of the plains and valleys lying beyond the hills 
which stood so prominently on the coast, — hills prob- 
ably older than any tongue in which we could de- 
scribe them. The Scriptural Garden of Eden has 
absolutely been placed here by supposition on the 
part of traveled people. The temperature is simply 
perfect, if we are to believe our informant ; the veg- 
etation is of a primitive delicacy and beauty un- 
equaled elsewhere ; the fruits are fabulously abundant 
and of the most perfect flavor ; the water bubbles 
forth from springs of crystal purity, and the flora is 
so lovely as to inspire the most indifferent beholder 
with delight. u It is called the Garden of Cuba," 
said the American Consul of Cienfuegos, " but many 
go further, and declare it to be the location of the 
original Paradise." Certain it is that the few Ameri- 
cans who have sought this so highly praised region, 
though compelled to deny themselves the ordinary 
comforts to be found in more accessible resorts, have 
admitted with emphasis that nature, pure and unde- 
filed, was here to be enjoyed in unstinted measure. 

The hills bordering the shore and extending some 
distance inland contain much undeveloped mineral 
wealth, such as iron, silver, and gold. A mine of the 
former product is now being profitably worked by an 
American company, and the ore regularly shipped to 
Pennsylvania for smelting. This ore has special prop- 
erties which render it more than usually valuable, 
and it is even claimed to be the best iron mine in the 
world. There is a strangely solitary and inhospitable 
appearance about this portion of the island, devoid as 
it is of all human habitations, and fringed either with 



30 DUE SOUTH. 

long reaches of lonely snow- white beach or rugged 
brown rocks. The volcanic appearance of the land 
is significant of former upheavals, and this immediate 
region is still occasionally troubled with geological 
chills and fever. 

The nights of early March in this latitude were ex- 
ceedingly beautiful, and solemnly impressive was the 
liberal splendor of the sky. The full moon looked 
down upon and was reflected by waters of perfect 
smoothness. River navigation could not have been 
more quiet than were these nights on the blue Carib- 
bean Sea. The air was as mild as June in New Eng- 
land, while at night the Southern Cross and the North 
Star blazed in the horizon at the same time. As we 
steered westward after doubling the cape, both of these 
heavenly sentinels were seen abeam, the constellation 
on our port side, and the North Star on the starboard. 
Each day, at the noon hour, the passengers were in- 
terested in watching the officers of the ship while 
they were " taking the sun," to determine the lati- 
tude and longitude. Shall we put the process into 
simple form for the information of the uninitiated? 
When the sun reaches the meridian, or culminating 
point of ascension, the exact moment is indicated 
by the instrument known as a quadrant, adjusted to 
the eye of the observer. The figures marked on the 
quadrant give the latitude of the ship at the moment 
of meridian. The ship's time is then made to corre- 
spond, that is to say, it must indicate 12 o'clock, M., 
after which it is compared with the chronometer's 
Greenwich time, and the difference enables the ob- 
server to determine the longitude. As fifteen miles 
are allowed to the minute, there will be nine hundred 
miles to the hour. The importance of absolute cor- 



PICO TURQUINO. 31 

rectness in the chronometer will at once be realized, 
since, were it only three minutes out of the way, it 
would render the calculation as to longitude wrong 
by nearly fifty miles^ which might be, and doubtless 
cften has been, the cause of wrecking a ship upon 
rocks laid down upon the charts, but supposed to be 
far away. With the chronometer and the quadrant 
observation correctly ascertained, the sailing-master 
can prick off his exact situation on the chart. So 
long as the weather will permit a clear view of the 
sun at noon, the ship's precise location on the wide 
waste of waters can be known ; but when continuous 
cloudy weather prevails, the ship's course is calculated 
by what is called dead reckoning, depending upon the 
speed and distance run as indicated by the log, which 
is cast hourly under such circumstances, and becomes 
the main factor in calculating the position of the 
ship. Of course the result cannot be very accurate, 
but is a dernier ressort. When land is in sight no 
observation is necessary, as the bearing of the ship is 
then unmistakably defined. 

The sea was like molten sapphire as we glided 
swiftly along the southern coast of Cuba, watching 
the gracefully undulating shore. The mountains rose 
higher and higher, until they culminated in the lofty 
peak of Pico Turquino (blue mountain), over ten 
thousand feet high, as lately ascertained by actual 
measurement. There are coves and bays along this 
coast where oysters do grow upon trees, ridiculous as 
the assertion first strikes the ear. The mangrove- 
trees extend their roots from the shore into the sea, 
to which the oysters affix themselves, growing and 
thriving until plucked by the fishermen. They are 
small and of an inferior species compared with those 



32 DUE SOUTH. 

of our own coast, but are freely eaten in the island. 
Near the shore hereabouts are many islets containing 
from three to five square miles, some of which are 
quite barren, while others are delicious gardens, full 
of tropical fruit trees, flowers, and odoriferous plants, 
where Paul and Virginia might have felt quite at 
home, wandering hand in hand. * 

Soon after passing the remarkably sheltered port 
of Guantanamo, which was for nearly a century the 
most notorious piratical rendezvous in the West In- 
dies, the famous castle of Santiago is seen. It is 
known as Moro Castle, but it antedates the more 
familiar Moro of Havana by a full century. This 
antique, yellow, Moorish-looking stronghold — which 
modern gunnery would destroy in about eight min- 
utes — is picturesque to the last degree, with its 
crumbling, honeycombed battlements, and queer lit- 
tle flanking turrets, grated windows, and shadowy 
towers. It is built upon the face of a lofty dun- 
colored rock, upon whose precipitous side the fortifi- 
cation is terraced. It stands just at the entrance of 
the narrow channel leading to the city, so that in 
passing in one can easily exchange oral greetings w*ith 
the sentry on the outer battlement. What strikingly 
artistic pictures the light and shade together formed 
with those time-stained walls, as we steamed slowly 
by them ! On the ocean side, directly under the 
castle, the sea has worn a gaping cave, so deep that 
it has not been explored within the memory of the 
people living in the neighborhood. The broad and 
lofty entrance is in form as perfect an arch as could 
be drawn by the pencil of a skillful architect. As is 
usual with such formations all over the world, there 
is a romantic legend concerning the cave related as 



APPROACHING SANTIAGO. 33 

connected with the olden time, and there is also a 
prevailing superstition that no one attempting to ex- 
plore it will live to return. 

In passing up the channel two or three little forts 
of queer construction are seen, supplementing the 
larger one, placed upon jutting headlands. The 
Moro of Santiago is now used as a prison for political 
offenders ; its days of defensive importance ended with 
the period of the buccaneers, against whose crude 
means of warfare it was an ample protection. As 
we steamed past it that sunny afternoon, stimulated 
by the novelty of everything about us, a crowd of pal- 
lid, sorrowful faces appeared at the grated windows, 
watching us listlessly. Two days later five of them, 
who were condemned patriots, were led out upon 
those ramparts and shot, their bodies falling into the 
sea, and eight were sent to the penal settlement of 
Ceuta. Spain extends no mercy to those who dare 
to raise their hands or voices in favor of freedom ; her 
political existence is sustained only in an atmosphere 
of oppression and cruelty. Every page of her history 
is a tableau of bloodshed and torture. The narrow 
winding channel which leads from the open sea to 
the harbor passes through low hills and broad mead- 
ows covered with rank verdure, cocoanut groves, and 
little fishing hamlets. Thrifty laurels, palms with 
their graceful plumes of foliage, and intensely green 
bananas line the way, with here and there upon the 
banks a pleasant country house in the midst of a 
pretty garden of flowering shrubs. So close is the 
shore all the while that one seems to be navigating 
upon the land, gliding among trees and over green- 
sward rather than on blue water. Presently we pass 
a sharp angle of the hills into a broad, sheltered bay, 



34 DUE SOUTH. 

and before us lies the quaint, rambling old city of 
Santiago de Cuba, built upon a hillside, like Tangier 
in Africa, and nearly as Oriental as that capital of 
Morocco. The first most conspicuous objects to meet 
the eye are the twin towers of the ancient cathedral 
which have withstood so many earthquakes. The 
weather-beaten old quartermaster on our forecastle 
applies the match to his brass twelve-pounder, awak- 
ing a whole broadside of echoes among the moun- 
tains, the big chain rushes swiftly through the hawse- 
hole, and the ship swings at her anchor in the middle 
of the picturesque bay. 

A boat was promptly secured with which to land 
at this ancient city, founded by Velasquez. From the 
moment one touches the shore a sense of being in a 
foreign land forces itself upon the new-comer. The 
half-unintelligible language, the people, the architec- 
ture, the manners, the vegetation, even the very at- 
mosphere and the intensity of the sunshine, are novel 
and attractive. It is easy to convey our partial im- 
pressions of a new place, however unique it may be, 
but not our inward sensations. The former are tangi- 
ble, as it were, and may be depicted ; the latter are 
like atmospheric air, which cannot be seen, but is felt. 
The many-colored, one-story houses of Santiago are 
Moorish in architecture, ranged in narrow streets, 
which cross each other at right a?igles with consid- 
erable regularity, but with roadways in an almost 
impassable condition, lined with sidewalks of ten or 
fifteen inches in width. These thoroughfares were 
once paved with cobblestones, but are now charac- 
terized by dirt and neglect, a stream of offensive wa- 
ter constantly percolating through them, in which lit- 
tle naked children are at play. No wonder that the 



CITY OF SANTIAGO. 35 

city is annually decimated by yellow fever ; the sur- 
prise is that it does not prevail there every month in 
the year. The boys and girls of the lower classes, 
white and black, are not thought to require clothing 
until they are about nine years of age. A few ne- 
gresses were observed sitting on the ground, at the 
corners of the streets, beside their baskets containing 
sweet cakes, mouldy biscuits, bananas, and grape-fruit, 
the uninviting appearance of which seemed to indi- 
cate that they were in the last stage of collapse. Was 
it possible any one could eat such stuff? As we 
passed and repassed these patient waiters, certainly 
no purchasers appeared. How the forty-five thou- 
sand inhabitants manage to achieve a living it would 
be difficult to imagine, for the town seemed to be as 
dead and void of all activity as Cordova, in far-off 
Spain, the sleepiest city in all Europe. Santiago has 
not a single bookstore within its limits. No other 
place in Christendom, with so numerous a population, 
could exist, outside of Spain, without some literary 
resort. There are here three or four spacious two- 
story club-houses, with some pretension to neatness 
and social accommodations; but then no Cuban town 
of any size would be complete without these anti- 
domestic institutions, where the male population may 
congregate for evening entertainment. The interior 
arrangements of these club-houses were entirely ex- 
posed to view, as we passed by the iron-grated win- 
dows, devoid of curtains, blinds, or screens of any 
sort, and extending from ceiling to floor. 

Santiago dates back to the year of our Lord 1514, 
making it the oldest city in the New World, next 
to San Domingo, and it will be remembered as the 
place whence Cortez sailed, in 1519, to invade Mexico. 



36 DUE SOUTH. 

Here also has been the seat of modern rebellion 
against the arbitrary and bitterly oppressive rule of 
the home government. The city is situated six hun- 
dred miles southeast of Havana, and, after Matanzas, 
comes next to it in commercial importance, its exports 
reaching the handsome annual aggregate of eight 
millions of dollars. It is the terminus of two lines 
of railways, which pass through the sugar districts, 
and afford transportation for this great staple. Three 
leagues inland, among the mountains, are situated the 
famous Cobre copper mines, said to be of superior 
richness, and whence, in the days of their active work- 
ing, four million dollars' worth of the ore has been 
exported in one year. This was the amount shipped 
in 1841, and so late as 1867 six thousand tons were 
exported in ten months. Not content with realizing 
a very large income from the mines by way of taxes 
upon the product, the Spanish government increased 
these excise charges to such an extent as to absorb 
the entire profits of the works and kill the enterprise, 
so that the rich ores of Cobre now rest undisturbed 
in the earth. It seems there is an Indian village near 
the copper mines, whose people are represented to be 
the only living descendants of the aborigines, — the 
Caribs whom Columbus found here on first landing. 
Careful inquiry, however, led us seriously to doubt 
the authenticity of the story. Probably this people 
are peculiar in their language, and isolation may have 
caused them to differ in some respects from the inhab- 
itants of the valley and plains, but four centuries must 
have destroyed every trace of the early inhabitants 
of Cuba. Having been from the very outset enslaved 
and brutally treated by the Spaniards, it is believed 
that as early as the year of our Lord 1700 they had 



CATHEDRAL OF SANTIAGO. 37 

utterly disappeared, and some historians say no trace 
even was to be found of the native race one century 
after the settlement of the island by Europeans. 

The head of the Church of Rome in Cuba is located 
here, it being an archbishop's see ; and the elaborate 
ceremonials which occasionally take place attract peo- 
ple from the most distant cities of the island. We 
chanced to be present when the bishop was passing 
into the cathedral, clothed in full canonicals and ac- 
companied by church dignitaries bearing a canopy 
above his head. Observing our little party as stran- 
gers, though in the midst of a stately ceremony, the 
bishop graciously made us a sign of recognition. The 
cathedral of Santiago is the largest in Cuba, but ex- 
tremely simple in its interior arrangements ; and so, 
indeed, are all the churches on the island. As to the 
exterior, the facade resembles the cathedral of Havana, 
being of the same porous stone, which always presents 
a crumbled and mottled surface. The inside decora- 
tions are childish and fanciful, consisting mostly of 
artificial flowers of colored paper, crudely formed by 
inexperienced hands into stars, wreaths, and crosses. 
One innovation was noticed in this church : a saint 
on the right of the altar was mounted upon a wooden 
horse, with spear in rest a la militaire, forming a most 
incongruous figure. In the church of Matanzas, vis- 
ited a week or two later, the effigy of our Saviour was 
observed to be half dressed in female attire, a glar- 
ing absurdity which the author has once before seen 
in the Spanish convent-church of Burgos. In the 
Matanzas church alluded to, boys and girls of nine 
and ten years were seen at the confessional. Could 
absurdity be carried to a greater height ? These with 
negro women form nearly all the audiences to be met 



38 DUE SOUTH. 

with in the Cuban churches, unless upon festal occa- 
sions. The men manifest their indifference by their 
absence, and white women are scarcely represented. 
Besides the cathedral, Santiago has three or four 
other old churches, small and dilapidated, within 
whose sombre walls one seems to have stepped back 
into the fifteenth century. Upon strolling acciden- 
tally into one of these we felt a chill suffuse the whole 
system, like that realized on descending into a dark, 
un drained cellar. 

The multiplicity and gaudiness of the drinking- 
saloons and bar-rooms were particularly noticeable in 
passing along the principal streets, and all were 
doing a thriving business, judging from appearances. 
The Cubans drink lightly, but they drink often, and 
are especially addicted to gin, which is dealt out to 
them at an extraordinarily low price. It appears that 
people can consume a much larger quantity of spirit- 
uous liquors here without becoming intoxicated than 
they can do at the North. It is very rare to see a 
person overcome by this indulgence in Cuba, and yet, 
as was afterwards observed in Cienfuegos, Matan- 
zas, and Havana, the common people begin the day 
with a very liberal dram, and follow it up with fre- 
quent libations until bed-time, — tippling at every 
convenient opportunity. A few of the better class 
of private houses were constructed with courts in the 
centre, where flowers and tropical fruits were grow- 
ing luxuriantly. These dwellings were confined to 
no special quarter of the town, but were as often 
found next to a commercial warehouse or a negro 
shanty as elsewhere. The dogs, horses, and Chinese 
coolies were all in wretched condition. One might 
count the ribs of the first two a long way off, while 



IN SANTIAGO. 39 

the latter were ragged, lame, half-starved, and many 
of them blind. Animals are the recipients of the 
severest sort of usage both in Cuba and Spain. Few 
vehicles were to be seen, as merchandise is mostly 
transported on the backs of mules and ponies, and 
these animals are seldom shod. 

The town is lighted with gas, or rather it was so 
illuminated a few weeks since ; but it was quietly 
whispered about that the corporation had failed to 
pay for this service last year, and that the monopoly 
itself was on the verge of bankruptcy, like nearly 
everything else of a business character in Cuba. The 
gaslights certainly appeared pale and sickly enough, 
as though only half confirmed in the purpose of giv- 
ing any light at all, and were prematurely extin- 
guished in many of the streets. In the shops, whose 
fronts were all open, like those of Canton and Yo- 
kohama, the clerks were to be seen in their shirt 
sleeves, guiltless of vests or collars, coquetting over 
calicoes and gaudy-colored merinos with mulatto girls 
decked in cheap jeweliy, and with negresses wear- 
ing enormous hoop-earrings. At the approach of 
evening the bar-rooms and saloons, with a liberal 
display of looking-glasses, bottles of colored liquors, 
gin, and glitter, were dazzling to behold. The marble 
tables were crowded with domino and card players, 
each sipping at intervals his favorite tipple. The 
sidewalks are so narrow that the pedestrian naturally 
seeks the middle of the street as a pathway, and the 
half a dozen victorias and four volantes which form 
the means of transportation in Santiago, and which 
are constantly wandering about in search of a job, 
manage to meet or to overtake one perpetually ; caus- 
ing first a right oblique, then a left oblique, movement, 



40 DUE SOUTH. 

with such regularity as to amount to an endless zig- 
zag. We did not exactly appreciate the humor of 
this annoyance, but perhaps the drivers did. After 
climbing and descending these narrow, dirty streets 
by daylight and by gaslight, and watching the local 
characteristics for a few hours, one is only too happy 
to take a boat back to the ship, and leave all 
behind. 

A desire for a cold bath and a good swim is natu- 
ral in this climate after sunset, but beware of indulg- 
ing this inclination in the waters of Santiago. Under 
that smooth, inviting surface, glistening beneath the 
rays of a full moon, lurk myriads of sharks. They 
are large, hungry, man-eating creatures, the tigers of 
the ocean, and the dread of all local boatmen here. 
To fall overboard in these waters, however good a 
swimmer one may be, is simply to be devoured. At 
Singapore, Sumatra, or Batavia, a Malay will for a 
consideration dive into the waters of the Malacca 
Straits, armed with a long, sharp knife, boldly attack 
a shark, and rip open his bowels at the moment 
when he turns on his side to give the deadly bite. 
But on that coast this dreaded fish appears singly ; 
it is rare to see two of them together ; while Santiago 
harbor seems to swarm with them, the dark dorsal 
fin of the threatening creatures just parting the sur- 
face of the sea, and betraying their presence. Ly- 
ing at anchor between our ship and the shore was a 
trig Spanish corvette, — an American-built vessel, by 
the way, though belonging to the navy of Spain. It 
was curious at times to watch her crew being drilled 
in various martial manoeuvres. While an officer was 
exercising the men at furling topsails, a few days 
before our arrival, a foretopman fell from aloft into 



EVENING — SANTIAGO HARBOR. 41 

the sea. Under ordinary circumstances and in most 
waters, the man could easily have been saved, but 
not so in this instance. He did not even rise to the 
surface. A struggle for portions of his body between 
half a dozen ravenous sharks was observed alongside 
the corvette, and all was quickly over. The fore- 
topman had been torn limb from limb and instantly 
devoured. 

The over-stimulated brain felt no inclination for 
sleep on this first night in the harbor, the situation 
was so novel, and the night itself one to suggest po- 
etic thoughts. The moon was creeping slowly across 
the blue vault, like a great phantom mingling with 
the lambent purity of the stars. We sat silently 
watching the heavens, the water, and the shore ; saw 
the lights go out one after another among the clus- 
tering dwellings, and the street gas-burners shut off 
here and there, until by and by the drowsy town was 
wrapped in almost perfect darkness. Only the rip- 
ple of the sea alongside the ship broke the silence, 
or the sudden splash of some large fish, leaping out of 
and falling back into the water. It seemed as though 
no sky was ever before of such marvelous blue depth, 
no water so full of mystery, no shore so clad in magic 
verdure, and no night ever of such resplendent clear- 
ness. The landing-steps and grating had been rigged 
out from a broad porthole on the spar deck, where a 
quartermaster was awaiting the return of the purser 
and a party of gentlemen who were making late, or 
rather early, hours on shore ; for it was nearly two 
o'clock in the morning, and the weary seaman, who 
had sat down at his post on the grating, was snoring 
like a wheezy trombone. The measured tread fore 
and aft of the second officer, who kept the anchor 



42 DUE SOUTH. 

watch, was the only evidence of wakefulness that 
disturbed our lonely mood. A similar night scene 
was vividly called to mind as experienced in Ty- 
phoon Bay, below Hong Kong, a few years since. 

In the harbor, next morning, a sunken wreck was 
pointed out to us, which was partially visible at low 
tide, not far from the shore. Only the ribs and 
stanchions are still held together by the stout keel 
timbers and lower sheathing. This wreck has lain 
there unheeded for years, yet what a story these old 
timbers might tell, had they only a tongue with which 
to give voice to their experience! — literally the ex- 
perience of ages. We refer to the remains of the 
old St. Paul, one of the ships of the great Spanish 
Armada that Philip II. sent to England in 1588, be- 
ing one of the very few of that famous flotilla that 
escaped destruction at the time. What a historical 
memento is the old wreck ! After a checkered career, 
in which this ancient craft had breasted the waves of 
innumerable seas and withstood the storms of nearly 
three centuries, she was burned to the water's edge 
here in the harbor of Santiago a few years since, and 
sunk, where her remains now lie, covered with slime 
and barnacles, — a striking emblem of the nation 
whose flag she once proudly bore. During the last 
years of her career afloat she was used for transport- 
ing troops from Europe, and as a Spanish guard-ship 
in these seas by the local government. It is doubt- 
ful if it is generally known that this relic of the 
Spanish Armada is in existence. Curio-hunters, once 
put upon the scent, will probably soon reduce these 
ancient timbers to chips, and a crop of canes and 
snuff-boxes, more or less hideous and more or less 
counterfeit, will ensue. 



MONEY IN CUBA. 43 

Here we got our first experience of the present cur- 
rency, — the valueless circulating medium of Cuba. 
When one has occasion to visit the island it is best 
to take American funds, either in bank-bills or gold, 
sufficient to meet all ordinary expenses. Our bank- 
bills and our gold are both at a premium. This 
will also save all necessity for drawing on home 
through any local bankers, who have a way of charg- 
ing for the accommodation quite after the style of 
everything Spanish. The hotel-keepers will require 
their pay on the basis of Spanish gold, but will cheer- 
fully, allow a premium of six per cent, on American 
gold or American bank-bills. As to the banks in 
Cuba, all are shaky, so to speak ; several have lately 
failed, and the others might as well do so. It is not 
long since the president of the Havana Savings Bank 
placed a pistol at his temple and blew his brains out. 
Mercantile credit may be said to be dead, and busi- 
ness nearly at a standstill. Commercial honesty is 
hardly to be expected from a bankrupt community, 
where the people seem only to be engaged in the sale 
and purchase of lottery tickets, a habit participated 
in by all classes. 

What little gold and silver coin there is found in 
circulation is mutilated ; every piece of money, large 
and small, has been subjected to the ingenious punch, 
and thus has lost a portion of its intrinsic value. 
American gold and silver, not having been thus 
clipped, justly commands a six per cent, premium. 

The circulating medium upon the island is paper 
scrip, precisely similar to that used in this country 
before the resumption of specie payment. This scrip 
is dirty beyond endurance, and one absolutely hesi- 
tates to take it in making change. 



44 DUE SOUTH. 

When our currency became soiled and torn we 
could exchange it for new, but there is no such facil- 
ity in Cuba. One dollar of our money will purchase 
$2.45 of this scrip. It passes current, and really 
seems to answer the necessities of trade, but even 
the Cubans are not deceived by it. They know that 
it is really worthless, being based upon nothing, and 
issued indiscriminately by a bankrupt government. 
The paper-mill grinds it out in five, ten, twenty, and 
fifty cent pieces as fast as it can be put into circu- 
lation, while no one knows how much has been issued. 
But one thing is known ; namely, that every author- 
ized issue of a given sum has been enormously ex- 
ceeded in amount. 

Within about five years, or less, an issue of bank- 
bills and of this small currency was entrusted to an 
establishment in the United States, when fourteen 
millions of dollars were printed in addition to the 
amount authorized ! All were duly receipted for and 
signed by corrupt Spanish officials, who coolly divided 
these millions among themselves ! The Captain-Gen- 
eral of Cuba during whose administration this finan- 
cial stroke was accomplished came to the island a 
poor man, and returned to Spain in two years pos- 
sessed of three million dollars ! 

There is no more beautiful or safe harbor in the 
world than that of Santiago de Cuba, commercially 
speaking, as it is completely land-locked and protected 
on all sides from storms ; but for the same reason it is 
as close and hot an anchorage as can be found in the 
tropics. An intelligent resident gave us 80° Fahren- 
heit as the average temperature of the year, though 
the thermometer showed a more ambitious figure 
during our brief stay. There are but two seasons, 



WATER IN SANTIAGO. 45 

the wet and the dry, the latter extending from Sep- 
tember to May. The city might have an excellent 
water supply if there were sufficient enterprise among 
the citizens to cause it to be conducted by pipes from 
the springs in the neighboring hills. It is now wretch- 
edly deficient in this respect, causing both suffering 
and ill health in a climate especially demanding this 
prime necessity of life. 



CHAPTER III. 

Doubling Cape Cruz. — Trinidad. — Cienfuegos. — The Plaza.— Beg- 
gars. — Visit to a Sugar Plantation. — Something about Sugar. — 
An Original Character. — A Tropical Fruit Garden. — Cuban Hos- 
pitality. — The Banana. — Lottery Tickets. — Chinese Coolies. — 
Blindness in Cuba. — Birds and Poultry. — The Cock-Pit. — Negro 
Slavery, To-Day. — Spanish Slaveholders. — A Slave Mutiny. — A 
Pleasant Journey across the Island. — Pictures of the Interior. — 
Scenery about Matanzas. — The Tropics and the North contrasted. 

To reach Cienfuegos, our next objective point, one 
takes water conveyance, the common roads in this dis- 
trict being, if possible, a degree worse than elsewhere. 
It is therefore necessary to double Cape Cruz, and 
perform a coasting voyage along the southern shore 
of the island of about four hundred miles. This is 
really delightful sailing in any but the hurricane 
months; that is, between the middle of August and the 
middle of October. It would seem that this should be 
quite a commercial thoroughfare, but it is surprising 
how seldom a sailing-vessel is seen on the voyage, 
and it is still more rare to meet a steamship. Our 
passage along the coast was delightful : the undulating 
hills, vales, and plains seemed to be quietly gliding 
past us of their own volition ; the tremor of the ship 
did not suggest motion of the hull, but a sense of de- 
light at the moving panorama so clearly depicted. 
No extensive range of waters in either hemisphere is 
so proverbially smooth as the Caribbean Sea, during 
eight months of the year, but a stout hull and good 
seamanship are demanded during the remaining four, 



TRINIDAD. 47 

especially if corning from the northward over the Ba- 
hama Banks and through the Windward Passage, as 
described in these chapters. 

The city of Trinidad, perched upon a hillside, is 
passed at the distance of a few miles, being pleasantly 
situated more than a league from the coast. The 
town of Casilda is its commercial port. This arrange- 
ment was adopted in the early days as a partial pro- 
tection against the frequent inroads of the bucca- 
neers, who ceased to be formidable when separated 
from their ships. Trinidad was once the centre of 
the prosperous coffee trade of Cuba, but is now, and 
has been for many years, commercially wrecked. It 
is very beautifully located, with Mount Vijia for its 
background, in what is declared to be the healthiest 
district upon the island. But it is an ancient city, 
comparatively deserted, its date being nearly contem- 
porary with that of Santiago. Cienfuegos, its success- 
ful business rival, is on the contrary quite modern, 
exhibiting many features of thrift and activity, and 
is counted the third commercial city of Cuba. Like 
Cardenas, it is called an American capital. It has 
some twenty-five thousand inhabitants, a large pro- 
portion of whom speak English, nine tenths of its 
commerce being with the United States. In this im- 
mediate neighborhood Columbus, on his second voy- 
age, saw with astonishment the mysterious king who 
spoke to his subjects only by signs, and that group of 
men who wore long white tunics like the monks of 
mercy, while the rest of the people were entirely 
naked. The town is^low and level, occupying a broad 
plane. The streets are of fair width, crossing each 
other at right angles, and are kept neat and clean. 
The harbor is an excellent and spacious one, admit- 



48 DUE SOUTH. 

ting of vessels being moored at the wharves, a com- 
mercial convenience unknown at Santiago, Matanzas, 
or Havana. The navies of all the world might ren- 
dezvous here and not crowd each other. Three riv- 
ers, the Canudo, Saludo, and Danuyi, empty into the 
bay, and each is navigable for a considerable distance 
inland, a matter of great importance in a country so 
devoid of good roads. The parti-colored houses are of 
the usual Cuban type, mostly of one story, built with 
a patio or open courtyard in the centre, well filled 
with flowering plants, among which were observed 
the attractive coral-tree, which resembles a baby 
palm, and the universal banana. 

The Plaza of Cienfuegos forms a large, well-ar- 
ranged square, where an out-door military concert is 
given twice a week, a universal practice in all Cuban 
cities. It is laid out with excellent taste, its broad 
paths nicely paved, and the whole lighted at night 
with numerous ornamental gas-lamps. The vegeta- 
tion is both attractive and characteristic, consisting of 
palms, laurels, and flowering shrubs, mingled with 
which are some exotics from the North, which droop 
with a homesick aspect. Plants, like human beings, 
will pine for their native atmosphere. If it be more 
rigorous and less genial at the North, still there is 
a bracing, tonic effect, imparting life and strength, 
which is wanting in the low latitudes. On one side 
of this fine square is the government house and bar- 
racks, opposite to which is an open-air theatre, and in 
front is the cathedral with any number of discordant 
bells. The little English sparrow seems to be ubiq- 
uitous, and as pugnacious here as on Boston Common, 
or the Central Park of New York. Boyish games are 
very similar the world over : young Cuba was playing 



CUBAN BEGGARS. 49 

marbles after the orthodox fashion, knuckle-down. 
It was very pitiful to behold the army of beggars in 
so small a city, but begging is synonymous with the 
Spanish name, both in her European and colonial 
possessions. Here the maimed, halt, and blind meet 
one at every turn. Saturday is the harvest day for 
beggars in the Cuban cities, on which occasion they 
go about by scores from door to door, carrying a large 
canvas bag. Each family and shop is supplied with 
a quantity of small rolls of bread, specially baked 
for the purpose, and one of which is nearly always 
given to the applicant on that day, so the mendicant's 
bag becomes full of rolls. These, mixed with vege- 
tables, bits of fish, and sometimes meat and bones 
when they can be procured, are boiled into a soup, 
thus keeping soul and body together in the poor 
creatures during the week. 

Cienfuegos is situated in the midst of a sugar-pro- 
ducing district, where soil and climate are both favor- 
able, and over twenty large plantations are to be seen 
within a radius of two or three leagues. The export 
from them, as we were informed by the courteous 
editor of "La Opinion," a local paper, aggregates 
thirty thousand hogsheads annually. The visitor 
should not fail to make an excursion to some repre- 
sentative plantation, where it is impossible not to be 
much interested and practically informed. One of 
these sugar estates, situated less than two leagues 
from the town, was found to be furnished with a 
complete outfit of the most modern machinery, which 
had cost the proprietor a quarter of a million dollars. 
It was working with the usual favorable results, 
though at the present price of sugar no profit can 
accrue to the planter. The plantation presented a 



50 DUE SOUTH. 

busy scene. During the grinding season the ma- 
chinery is run night and day, but is obliged to lie 
idle for eight months out of the year. 

In the uncultivated fields through which we passed 
when driving out to the sugar estate, the prickly 
pear grew close to the ground in great luxuriance, as 
it is seen on our Western prairies. Its thick leaves, 
so green as to be dense with color, impart the effect 
of greensward at a short distance. On close inspec- 
tion it was seen to be the star cactus, which like the 
Northern thistle kills all other vegetation within its 
reach. Here and there the wild ipecacuanha with its 
bright red blossom was observed, but the fields, ex- 
cept those devoted to the cane, were very barren near 
Cienfuegos. 

Sugar-cane is cultivated like Indian corn, which it 
also resembles in appearance. It is first planted in 
rows, not in hills, and must be hoed and weeded un- 
til it gets high enough to shade its roots. Then it 
may be left to itself until it reaches maturity. This 
refers to the first laying out of a plantation, which will 
afterwards continue fruitful for years by very sim- 
ple processes of renewal. When thoroughly ripe the 
cane is of a light golden yellow, streaked here and 
there with red. The top is dark green, with long 
narrow leaves depending, — very much like those of 
the corn stalk, — from the centre of which shoots up- 
wards a silvery stem a couple of feet in height, and 
from its tip grows a white fringed plume, of a delicate 
lilac hue. The effect of a large field at its maturity, 
lying under a torrid sun and gently yielding to the 
breeze, is very fine, a picture to live in the memory 
ever after. In the competition between the prod- 
ucts of beet-root sugar and that from sugar-cane, 



FERTILITY OF CUBAN SOIL. 51 

the former controls the market, because it can be pro- 
duced at a cheaper rate, besides which its production 
is stimulated by nearly all of the European states 
through the means of liberal subsidies both to 
the farmer and to the manufacturer. Beet sugar, 
however, does not possess so high a percentage of 
true saccharine matter as does the product of the 
cane, the latter seeming to be nature's most direct 
mode of supplying us with the article. The Cuban 
planters have one advantage over all other sugar- 
cane producing countries, in the great and inexhaust- 
ible fertility of the soil of the island. For instance : 
one to two hogsheads of sugar to the acre is consid- 
ered a good yield in Jamaica, but in Cuba three hogs- 
heads is the average. Fertilizing of any sort is rarely 
employed in the cane-fields, while in beet farming it is 
the principal agent of success. 

Though the modern machinery, as lately adopted 
on the plantations, is very expensive, still the result 
achieved by it is so much superior to that of the old 
methods of manufacture that the small planters are 
being driven from the market. Slave labor cannot 
compete with machinery. The low price of sugar 
renders economy imperative in all branches of the 
business, in order to leave a margin for profit. A 
planter informed the author that he should spread 
all of his molasses upon the cane-fields this year as a 
fertilizer, rather than send it to a distant market and 
receive only what it cost. He further said that 
thousands of acres of sugar-cane would be allowed to 
rot in the fields this season, as it would cost more to 
cut, grind, pack, and send it to market than could be 
realized for the manufactured article. Had the price 
of sugar remained this year at a figure which would 



52 DUE SOUTH. 

afford the planters a fair profit, it might have been 
the means of tiding over the chasm of bankruptcy 
which has long stared them in the face, and upon the 
brink of which they now stand. But with a more 
than average crop, both as to quantity and quality, 
whether to gather it or not is a problem. Under 
these circumstances it is difficult to say what is to 
become, financially, of the people of Cuba. Sugar 
is their great staple, but all business has been equally 
depressed upon the island, under the bane of civil 
wars, extortionate taxation, and oppressive rule. 

If you visit Cienfuegos you will take rooms at the 
Hotel Union, as being the least objectionable of the 
two public houses which the city contains, and there 
you will make the acquaintance of Jane, who is an 
institution in herself. Indeed, she will doubtless 
board your ship when it first arrives, so as to en- 
lighten you concerning the excellences of the Union 
over its rival establishment, which will also be sure 
to be represented. Jane is interpreter and gen- 
eral factotum of that delectable posada, the Union, 
and being the only one in the house who speaks 
either French or English, she becomes an important 
factor in your calculations. Jane's nationality is a 
pleasing mystery, but she may be classed as a Por- 
tuguese quadroon. Venus did not preside at her 
birth, but, by means of the puff-ball and egg-shell 
powder, she strives to harmonize her mottled features. 
Being interpreter, waitress, hotel-runner, and chamber- 
maid, she is no idler, and fully earns the quarter 
eagle you naturally hand her at leave-taking. In 
visiting the neighboring sugar plantation Jane acts 
as your guide, on which occasion her independence 
will be sure to challenge admiration. She salutes 



AN ORIGINAL CHARACTER. 53 

slave or master with equal familiarity, conducts you 
through each process of the elaborate works, from 
the engine to the crushing mill, and so on, until you 
reach the centrifugal machine, where the glistening 
crystals of pure sugar fall into an open receptacle 
ready for packing and shipment. She takes you into 
the slave-quarters among the pickaninnies, hens, pigs, 
and pigeons, looking on blandly and chewing huge 
pieces of cane while you distribute the bright ten 
cent pieces with which you filled your pocket at start- 
ing. If Jane slyly pinches a papoose and causes it to 
yell, it is only for fun ; she means no harm, though 
the dusky mite gets smartly slapped by its mother 
for misbehaving. The cabin floor of bare earth is 
sure to be covered with these little naked, sprawling 
objects, like ants. On the way back to town Jane 
orders the postilion to drive into the private grounds 
of a palatial Cuban residence, where she boldly an- 
nounces herself and party to the proprietor in good 

rolling Spanish. It is the home of Senor N , a 

wealthy merchant of the city. We are received as 
though we belonged to the royal family. The hos- 
pitable owner speaks English fluently, and answers 
our thousand and one questions with tireless courtesy, 
takes us into his superb fruit garden (of which more 
anon), then introduces us to his domestic quarters, 
where everything appears refined, faultlessly neat, 
and tasteful. If you go to the railroad station, as 
usual the evening before departure, in order to secure 
tickets and get your baggage labeled, — for the cars 
start in the morning before daylight, — Jane will ac- 
company you, riding by your side in the victoria. 
Excuse her if she orders the calash thrown back, as 
she appears bonnetless in a loud, theatrical costume, 



54 DUE SOUTH. 

trimmed with red and yellow, and carrying a bouquet 
in her freckled hands. It is her opportunity, and 
she looks triumphantly at the street loungers in 
passing. If you are charged on your bill a Del- 
monico price for a mythical lunch to be taken with 
you on the journey to Matanzas, and which Jane has 
forgotten to put up, pay without wrangling ; it saves 
time and temper. 

The tropical garden which we visited just outside 
of Cienfuegos embraced a remarkable variety of trees, 
including some thrifty exotics. Here the mango, 
with its peach-like foliage, was bending to the ground 
with the weight of its ripening fruit; the alligator 
pear was marvelously beautiful in its full blossom, 
suggesting, in form and color, the passion-flower ; 
the soft delicate foliage of the tamarind was like our 
sensitive plant ; the banana trees were in full bear- 
ing, the deep green fruit (it is ripened and turns 
yellow off the tree) being in clusters of a hundred, 
more or less, tipped at the same time by a single, 
pendent, glutinous bud nearly as large as a pineapple. 
The date-palm, so suggestive of the far East, and the 
only one we had seen in Cuba, was represented by a 
choice specimen, imported in its youth. There was 
also the star-apple tree, remarkable for its uniform 
and graceful shape, full of the green fruit, with here 
and there a ripening specimen ; so, also, was the 
favorite zapota, its rusty-coated fruit hanging in 
tempting abundance. From low, broad-spreading 
trees depended the grape-fruit, as large as an infant's 
head and yellow as gold, while the orange, lime, and 
lemon trees, bearing blossoms, green and ripe fruit all 
together, met the eye at every turn, and filled the 
garden with fragrance. The cocoanut palm, with 



THE BANANA. 55 

its tall, straight stem and clustering fruit, dominated 
all the rest. Guava, fig, custard-apple, and bread- 
fruit trees, all were in bearing. Our hospitable host 
plucked freely of the choicest for the benefit of his 
chance visitors. Was there ever such a fruit garden 
before, or elsewhere ? It told of fertility of soil and 
deliciousness of climate, of care, judgment, and liberal 
expenditure, all of which combined had turned these 
half a dozen acres of land into a Gan Eden. Through 
this orchard of Hesperides we were accompanied also 
by the proprietor's two lovely children, under nine 
years of age, with such wealth of promise in their 
large black eyes and sweet faces as to fix them. on our 
memory with photographic fidelity. 

Before leaving the garden we returned with our 
intelligent host once more to examine his beautiful 
specimens of the banana, which, with its sister fruit 
the plantain, forms so important a staple of food in 
Cuba and throughout all tropical regions. It seems 
that the female banana tree bears more fruit than 
the male, but not so large. The average clusters of 
the former comprise here about one hundred, but the 
latter rarely bears over sixty or seventy distinct speci- 
mens of the cucumber-shaped product. From the 
centre of its large broad leaves, which gather at the 
top, when it has reached the height of twelve or 
fifteen feet there springs forth a large purple bud ten 
inches long, shaped like a huge acorn, though more 
pointed. This cone hangs suspended from a strong 
stem, upon which a leaf unfolds, displaying a cluster 
of young fruit. As soon as these are large enough 
to support the heat of the sun and the chill of the 
rain, this sheltering leaf drops off, and another un- 
folds, exposing its little brood of fruit ; and so the 



56 DUE SOUTH. 

process goes on until six or eight rings of young 
bananas are started, forming, as we have said, bunches 
numbering from seventy to a hundred. The banana 
is a herbaceous plant, and after fruiting its top dies ; 
but it annually sprouts up again fresh from the roots. 
From the unripe fruit, dried in the sun, a palatable 
and nutritious flour is made. 

No matter where one may be, in town or country, 
in the east or west end of the island, Santiago or 
Havana, the lottery-ticket vender is there. Men, 
women, and children are employed to peddle the 
tickets, cripples especially being pressed into the ser- 
vice in the hope of exciting the sympathies of strangers 
and thus creating purchasers. It may be said to be 
about the only prosperous business at present going 
on in this thoroughly demoralized island. Half the 
people seem to think of nothing else, and talk of 
dreaming that such and such combinations of num- 
bers will bring good luck. Some will buy only even 
numbers, others believe that the odd ones stand the 
best chance of winning; in short, all the gambling 
fancies are brought to bear upon these lotteries. 
Enough small prizes are doled out to the purchasers 
of tickets, by the cunning management, to keep hope 
and expectation ever alive in their hearts, and to coax 
out of them their last dollar in further investments. 
" If," said a native resident of Matanzas to us, " these 
lotteries, all of which are presided over by the officials, 
are honestly conducted, they are the one honest thing 
in which this government is concerned. Venal in 
everything else, why should they be conscientious in 
this gambling game ? " No one believes in the in- 
tegrity of the government, but, strange to say, the 
masses have implicit faith in the lotteries. 



CHINESE COOLIES. 57 

At one corner of our hotel in Cienfuegos, there sat 
upon the sidewalk of the street a blind beggar, a 
Chinese coolie, whose miserable, poverty-stricken ap- 
pearance elicited a daily trifle from the habitues of 
the house. Early one morning we discovered this 
representative of want and misery purchasing a lot- 
tery ticket. They are so divided and subdivided, it 
appears, as to come even within the means of the 
street beggars ! Speaking of blindness, the multipli- 
city of people thus afflicted, especially among negroes 
and coolies, led to the enumeration of those met with 
in a single day ; the result was seventeen. On inquiry 
it was found that inflammation of the eyes is as com- 
mon here as in Egypt, and that it runs a rapid and 
fatal course, — fatal to the sight after having once 
attacked a victim, unless it receives prompt, judicious, 
and scientific treatment. 

The Chinese coolies, who are encountered in all 
parts of the island, but more especially in the cities, 
are almost invariably decrepit, poverty-stricken men- 
dicants, and very frequently blind. They are such 
as have been through their eight years' contract, and 
have been brought to their present condition by ill- 
treatment, insufficient food, and the troubles incident 
to the climate. In the majority of cases these coolies 
have been cheated out of the trifling amount of 
wages promised to them, for there is no law in Cuba 
to which they can appeal. There are laws which 
will afford the negro justice if resorted to under cer- 
tain circumstances, but none for the coolies. There 
are some few Chinamen who have survived every 
exigency, and are now engaged in keeping small 
stores or fruit stands, cigar making, and other light 
employments, their only hope being to gain money 



58 DUE SOUTH. 

enough to carry them back to their native land, and 
to have a few dollars left to support them after get- 
ting there. There are no Chinese laundries in Cuba ; 
John cannot compete with the black women in this 
occupation, for they are natural washers and ironers. 
John is only a skillful imitator. He proves most 
successful in the cigarette and cigar factories, where 
his deft fingers can turn out a more uniform and 
handsome article than the Cubans themselves. Ma- 
chinery is fast doing away with hand-made cigarettes. 
At the famous establishment of La Honradez, in 
Havana, which we visited some weeks later, one 
machine was seen in operation which produced ten 
thousand complete cigarettes each hour, or a million 
per day ! Still this same establishment employed 
some fifty Chinese in order to supply its trade with 
the hand-made article, for home consumption. The 
Cubans prefer to unroll and readjust a cigarette before 
lighting it. This cannot be done with the machine- 
made article, which completes its product by a pasting 
process. The three machines (an American patent) 
at the Honradez factory turn out three millions of 
cigarettes per day, and this is in addition to those 
which are hand-made by the Chinese. 

The landlord of the Hotel Union, at Cienfuegos, 
will give you plenty of fruit and cheap Cataline wine, 
but the meat which is served is poor and consists 
mostly of birds. Any other which may be set before 
you will hardly be found to be a success, but then 
one does not crave much substantial food in this cli- 
mate. There is a small wild pigeon which forms a 
considerable source of food in Cuba, and which breeds 
several times in a year. They are snared and shot 
in large numbers for the table, but do not show any 



SUNDAY IN CIENFUEGOS. 59 

signs of being exterminated. Ducks and water-fowl 
generally abound, and are depended upon to eke out 
the short supply of what we term butcher's meat. 
Three quarters of the people never partake of other 
meat than pigeons, poultry, and wild ducks. Eggs 
are little used as food, being reserved for hatching 
purposes. All families in the country and many in 
the cities make a business of raising poultry, but the 
product is a bird of small dimensions, not half the 
size of our common domestic fowls. They are very 
cheap, but they are also very poor. The practice is to 
keep them alive until they are required for the table, 
so that they are killed, picked, and eaten, all in the 
same hour, and are in consequence very tough. As 
the climate permits of hens hatching every month in 
the year, the young are constantly coming forward, 
and one mother annually produces several broods ; 
chickens, like tropical fruits, are perennial. 

Sunday is no more a day of rest in Cienfuegos 
than it is in other Roman Catholic countries ; indeed, 
it seemed to be distinguished only by an increase of 
revelry, the activity of the billiard saloons, the noisy 
persistency of the lottery-ticket venders, the boister- 
ousness of masquerade processions, and a general 
public rollicking. The city is not large enough to 
support a bull-ring, but cock-pits are to be found all 
over the island, and the Sabbath is the chosen day 
for their exhibitions. It must be a very small and 
very poor country town in Cuba which has not its 
cock-pit. The inveterate gambling propensities of 
the people find vent also at dominoes, cards, checkers, 
and chess in the bar-rooms, every marble table being 
in requisition for the purpose of the games on Sun- 
days. Having noticed the sparse attendance at the 



60 DUE SOUTH. 

cathedral, we remarked to Jane that the church was 
quite empty, whereupon she replied with a significant 
leer, " True, Senor, but the jail is full." More than 
once an underlying vein of sarcasm was observed in 
the very pertinent remarks of which Jane was so hap- 
pily delivered. 

There are comparatively few slaves to be found on 
the plantations or elsewhere in the vicinity of Cien- 
fuegos : in fact, slavery is rapidly disappearing from 
the island. " Slave labor is more costly than any 
other, all things considered," said a sugar planter to 
us. " I do not own one to-day, but I have owned 
and worked six hundred at a time," he added. " We 
pay no tax on the laborers we hire, but on slaves we 
pay a heavy head-tax annually." An edict has been 
promulgated by the home government, which went 
into force last year, and which frees one slave in 
every four annually, so that on January 1, 1888, all 
will have become free. In the mean time the com- 
mercial value of slaves has so decreased in view of 
their near emancipation that they are not appraised 
on an average at over fifty or sixty dollars each. The 
law has for a period of many years provided that any 
slave who pays to his master his appraised value 
shall at once receive his free papers. Many purchase 
their liberty under this law, and then hire themselves 
to the same master or to some other, as they may 
choose, — at low wages, to be sure, but including food 
and shelter. Slaves have always been entitled by 
law in Cuba to hold individual property independent 
of their masters, and there are few smart ones who 
have not accumulated more or less pecuniary means 
during their servitude. They have had no expenses 
to meet in the way of supporting themselves. That 



NEGRO SLAVERY TO-DAY. 



61 



has devolved upon their owners, so that whatever 
money they have realized by the several ways open 
to them has been clear profit. Many slaves have 
anticipated the period of their legal release from 
servitude, and more will do so during the present 
vear We also heard of planters who, realizing the 
inevitable, have manumitted the few slaves whom 
they still held in bondage, and hiring them at merely 
nominal wages, believed they saved money by the 

operation. . . 

It will be seen, therefore, that slavery as an insti- 
tution here is virtually at an end. Low wages will 
prevail, and this is necessary to enable the planters 
to compete with the beet sugar producers of Europe. 
In truth, it is a question how long they will be able to 
do so at any rate of wages. The modern machinery 
being so generally adopted by the sugar-cane planters, 
while remarkably successful, both as to the quality 
and the quantity of the juice it expresses from the 
cane, not only is expensive in first cost, but it requires 
more intelligent laborers than were found serviceable 
with the old process. To supply the places of the 
constantly diminishing slaves, emigrants as they 
were called, have heretofore been introduced from the 
Canary Islands ; men willing to contract for a briet 
period of years, say eight or ten, as laborers, and at 
moderate wages. These people have proved to be 
o-ood plantation hands, though not so well able to 
bear the great heat of the sun as were the negroes; 
otherwise they were superior to them, and better in 
all respects than the Chinese coolies, who as workers 
on the plantations have proved to be utter failures 
The mortality among these Mongolians, as we learned 
from good authority, had reached as high as sixty- 



62 DUE SOUTH. 

seven per cent, within eight years of their date of 
landing in Cuba, that being also the period of their 
term of contract. None have been introduced into 
the island for several years. This coolie importation, 
like the slave-trade with Africa, was a fraud and an 
outrage upon humanity, and never paid any one, even 
in a mercenary point of view, except the shipowners 
who brought the deceived natives from the coast of 
China. Slavery in Cuba and slavery in our country 
were always quite a different thing, and strange to 
say the laws of the Spanish government were far 
more favorable and humane towards the victims of 
enforced labor than were those established in our 
Southern States. When the American negro ceased 
to be a slave, he ceased to cultivate the soil for his 
master only to cultivate it for himself. Not so in the 
tropics. The Cuban negro, in the first place, is of a 
far less intelligent type than the colored people in 
the States ; secondly, the abundance of natural food 
productions in the low latitudes, such as fruit, fish, 
and vegetables, requires of the negro only to pluck 
and to eat ; clothing and shelter are scarcely needed, 
and virtually cost nothing where one may sleep in 
the open air without danger every night in the year ; 
and finally, the negro of the tropics will not work 
unless he is compelled to. 

There is a certain class of the Spanish slaveholders 
who have always fought against negro emancipation 
in any form, — fought against manifest destiny as 
well as against sound principles, fought indeed against 
their own clear interest, so wedded were they to the 
vile institution of slavery. Yet to every thinking 
man on the island, it is clearly apparent that human 
slavery in Cuba, as everywhere else, has proved to be 



A SLAVE MUTINY. 63 

a disturber of the public peace, and has retarded 
more than anything else the material and moral prog- 
ress of the entire people. It is but a short time 
since that the editor of a Havana newspaper, the 
" Revista Economica," was imprisoned in Moro Cas- 
tle, and without even the pretense of a trial afterwards 
banished from the island, because he dared to point 
out the fact in print that the freeing of the slaves 
would prove a mutual benefit to man and master, 
besides being a grand act of humanity. Two years 
since the slaves on a large plantation near Guines 
refused to work on a holiday which had always here- 
tofore been granted to them ; whereupon the soldiery 
were called in to suppress what was called a mutiny 
of the blacks, resulting in nine negroes being shot 
dead, and many others put in chains to be scourged 
at leisure. Doomed as we have shown slavery to be, 
still it dies hard in Cuba. 

In the vicinity of Cienfuegos, Santiago, and Trini- 
dad, in the mountain regions of the eastern district, 
there are many lawless people, — banditti, in fact, 
who make war for plunder both upon native and 
foreign travelers, even resorting in some cases to 
holding prisoners for ransoms. Several aggravating 
instances of the latter character came to our knowl- 
edge while we were on the spot. Since these notes 
were commenced five of these robbers have been cap- 
tured, including the leader of the band to which they 
belonged, a notorious outlaw named Clemente Mar- 
tinez. They were taken by means of a stratagem, 
whereby they were decoyed into an ambush, sur- 
rounded, and captured red-handed, as they fought 
furiously, knowing that they had no mercy to expect 
at the hands of the soldiers. It was the civil guard 



64 DUE SOUTH. 

at Rancho Veloz who made this successful raid into 
the hills, and every one of the prisoners was summa- 
rily shot. Such off-hand punishment is dangerous, 
but in this instance it was no more prompt than just. 
It is necessary, therefore, to carry arms for self-defense 
upon the roads in some parts of the island, and even 
the countrymen wear swords when bringing produce 
to market. Residents having occasion to go any dis- 
tance inland take a well-armed guard with them, to 
prevent being molested by the desperate refugees who 
lurk in the hill country. Undoubtedly many of 
these lawless bands are composed of former revolu- 
tionists, who are driven to extremes by want of food 
and the necessities of life. 

Our journey was continued from Cienfuegos to 
Havana, by way of Matanzas, crossing the island 
nearly at right angles. The traveler plunges at 
once by this route into the midst of luxuriant trop- 
ical nature, where the vegetation is seen to special 
advantage, characterized by a great variety of cacti 
and parasitic growth, flowering trees and ever grace- 
ful palms, besides occasional ceibas of immense size. 
Though the landscape, somehow, was sad and melan- 
choly, it gave rise to bright and interesting thoughts 
in the observer : doubtless the landscape, like human- 
ity, has its moods. Vegetation, unlike mankind, seems 
here never to grow old, never to lalter ; crop succeeds 
crop, harvest follows harvest ; nature is inexhausti- 
ble, — it is an endless cycle of abundance. Miles 
upon miles of the bright, golden-green sugar-cane lie 
in all directions, among which, here and there, is 
seen the little cluster of low buildings constituting 
the negroes' quarters attached to each plantation, and 
near by is the tall white chimney of the sugar-mill, 



\ 



PLANTATION SCENES. 65 

emitting its thick volume of wreathing smoke, like 
the funnel of a steamboat. A little on one side stands 
the planter's house, low and white, surrounded by 
beautiful shade trees and clustering groups of flowers. 
Scores of dusky Africans give life to the scene, and 
the sturdy overseer, mounted on his little Cuban 
pony, dashes back and forth to keep all hands advan- 
tageously at work. One large gang is busy cutting 
the tall cane with sharp, sword-like knives ; some 
are loading the stalks upon ox-carts ; some are driv- 
ing loads to the mill ; some feeding the cane between 
the great steel crushers, beneath which pours forth 
a ceaseless jelly-like stream, to be conducted by iron 
pipes to the boilers ; men, women, and children are 
spreading the crushed refuse to dry in the sun, after 
which it will be used for fuel. Coopers are heading 
up hogsheads full of the manufactured article, and 
others are rolling up empty ones to be filled. 

Some years ago, when the author first visited Cuba, 
the overseer was never seen without his long, cutting 
whip, as well as his sword and pistols. The latter he 
wears to-day, but the whip is unseen. The fact is, 
the labor on the plantations is now so nearly free 
labor that there is little if any downright cruelty 
exercised as of yore. Or, rather, we will qualify the 
remark by saying that there has been a vast improve- 
ment in this respect on the side of humanity. The 
shadow of the picture lies in the past. One could 
not but recall in imagination the horrors which so 
long characterized these plantations. The blood- 
thirsty spirit of the Spanish slaveholders had free 
scope here for centuries, during which time the in- 
vaders sacrificed the entire aboriginal race ; and since 
then millions of Africans have been slowty murdered 

5 



66 DUE SOUTH, 

by overwork, insufficient food, and the lash, simply 
to fill the pockets of their rapacious masters with 
gold. Few native Cubans are sugar-planters. These 
estates are almost universally owned and carried on 
by Spaniards from the European peninsula, or other 
foreigners, including Englishmen and Americans. 

Occasionally, in the trip across the island, we 
passed through a crude but picturesque little hamlet 
having the unmistakable stamp of antiquity, with 
low straggling houses built of rude frames, covered 
at side and roof with palm bark and leaves ; chim- 
neys there were none, — none even in the cities, 
— charcoal only being used for cooking purposes, 
and which is performed in the open air. About the 
door of the long, rambling posada, a dozen or more 
horses were seen tied to a long bar, erected for the 
purpose, but no wheeled vehicles were there. The 
roads are only fit for equestrians, and hardly passable 
even for them. At rare intervals one gets a glimpse 
of the vol ante, now so generally discarded in the 
cities, and which suggested Dr. Holmes's old chaise, 
prepared to tumble to pieces in all parts at the same 
time. The people, the cabins, and the horses, are 
all stained with the red dust of the soil, recalling the 
Western Indians in their war paint. This pigment, 
or colored dirt, penetrates and adheres to everything, 
filling the cars and decorating the passengers with a 
dingy brick color. It was difficult to realize that 
these comparatively indifferent places through which 
we glided so swiftly were of importance and the 
permanent abode of any one. When the cars stop at 
the small way-stations, they are instantly invaded by 
lottery-ticket sellers, boys with tempting fruit, green 
cocoanuts, ripe oranges, and bananas, — all cheap for 



PICTURES OF THE INTERIOR. 67 

cash. And here too is the guava seller, with neatly 
sealed cans of the favorite preserve. Indeed, it seems 
to rain guava jelly in Cuba. Others offer country 
cheese, soft and white, with rolls, while in a shanty 
beside the road hot coffee and " blue ruin " are dealt 
out to thirsty souls by a ponderous mulatto woman. 
There are always a plenty of the denizens of the 
place, in slovenly dresses and slouched hats, hands 
in pockets, and puffing cigarettes, who do the heavy 
standing-round business. Stray dogs hang about the 
car-wheels and track to pick up the crumbs which 
passengers throw away from their lunch-baskets. 
Just over the wild-pineapple hedge close at hand, 
half a score of naked negro children hover round 
the door of a low cabin ; the mother, fat and shining 
in her one garment, gazes with arms akimbo at the 
scene of which she forms a typical part. The en- 
gineer imbibes a penny drink of thin Cataline wine 
and hastens back to his machine, which has been 
taking water from an elevated cistern beside the 
track, the bell rings, the whistle sounds, and we are 
off to repeat the process and the picture, six or eight 
leagues further on. Take our advice and don't at- 
tempt to make a meal at one of these stations. The 
viands are wretchedly poor, and the price charged is 
a swindle. 

As we approach Matanzas the scene undergoes a 
radical change. Comfortable habitations are multi- 
plied, passable roads appear winding gracefully about 
the country, groves and gardens spring into view, 
with small and thrifty farms. Superb specimens of 
the royal palm begin to appear in abundance, always 
suggestive of the Corinthian column. Scattered over 
the hills and valleys a few fine cattle are seen crop- 



68 DUE SOUTH. 

ping the rank verdure. There is no greensward in 
the tropics, and hay is never made. The scenery 
reminds one of Syria and the Nile. 

One sees some vegetable and fruit farms, but sugar 
raising absorbs nearly every other interest, the ^to- 
bacco leaf coming next, now that coffee is so neg- 
lected. The farmer ploughs with the crooked branch 
of a tree, having one handle with which to guide the 
crude machine, — just such an instrument as is used 
for the purpose in Egypt to-day, and has been used 
there for thousands of years. The cattle are mostly 
poor, half-starved creatures, — starved amid a vege- 
tation only too rank and luxuriant. The dairy re- 
ceives no attention in Cuba. Butter is seldom made ; 
the canned article from this country, thin and offen- 
sive, is made to answer the purpose. The climate is 
too hot to keep butter or cream without ice, and that 
is expensive. Human beings, men, women, and chil- 
dren, look stunted and thin, possessing, however, won- 
derfully fine eyes, large, lustrous, and ebony in hue ; 
eyes that alone make beauty ; but the physiogno- 
mists have long since learned that eyes of themselves 
are no indication of character or moral force. 

The thermometer had stood since early morning 
at 83°, during the long ride from Cienfuegos. It 
was hot and dusty. Notwithst?nding the ceaseless 
novelty of the scene, one became a little fatigued, a 
little weary ; but as we approached Matanzas, the 
refreshing air from off the Gulf of Mexico suddenly 
came to our relief, full of a bracing tonic, and ren- 
dering all things tolerable. The sight of the broad 
harbor, lying with its flickering surface under the 
afternoon sun, was beautiful to behold. 

After all, these tropical regions lack the delicious 



NORTH AND SOUTH CONTRASTED. 69 

freshness of the greensward, of new foliage, and the 
fine fragrance of the rural North ; they need the in- 
vigorating sleep of the seasons from which to awake 
refreshed and blooming. Where vegetation is grow- 
ing and decaying at the same time, there can never 
be general freshness and greenness ; eternal summer 
lacks interest ; we crave the frost as well as the sun- 
shine. Compensation follows fast upon the heels of 
even a Northern winter. The tropical loveliness of 
the vegetation in this attractive land indicates what 
Cuba should be, but is not. 

Having accompanied the reader across many de- 
grees of latitude, effecting a landing and reaching 
the interior of Cuba, let us now pass to other con- 
siderations of this interesting and important island. 



CHAPTER IV. 

The Great Genoese Pilot. — Discovery of Cuba. — Its Various Names. 
— Treatment of the Natives. — Tobacco ! — Flora of the Island. — 
Strange Idols. — Antiquity. — Habits of the Aborigines. — Re- 
markable Speech of an Indian King. — A Native Entertainment. — 
Paying Tribute. — Ancient Remains. — Wrong Impression of Co- 
lumbus. — First Attempt at Colonization. — Battle with the In- 
dians. — First Governor of Cuba. — Founding Cities. — Emigra- 
tion from Spain. — Conquest of Mexico. 



JO 






The island of Cuba was discovered by the great 
Genoese pilot, on the 28th day, of Octobe r, 1492. 
The continent of America was not discovered until 
six years later, — in 1498. The name of Columbus 
flashes a bright ray over the mental darkness of the 
period in which he lived, for the world was then but 
just awakening from the dull sleep of the Middle 
Ages. The discovery of printing heralded the new 
birth of the republic of letters, and maritime enter- 
prise received a vigorous impulse. The shores of the 
Mediterranean, thoroughly explored and developed, 
had endowed the Italian States with extraordinary 
wealth, and built up a very respectable mercantile ma- 
rine. The Portuguese mariners were venturing far- 
ther and farther from the peninsula, and traded with 
many distant ports on the extended coast of Africa. 

To the west lay what men supposed to be an illim- 
itable ocean, full of mystery, peril, and death. A 
vague conception that islands hitherto unknown might 
be met afar off on that strange wilderness of waters 
was entertained by some minds, but no one thought 



THE GREAT GENOESE. <1 

of venturing in search of them. Columbus alone, 
regarded merely as a brave and intelligent seaman 
and pilot, conceived the idea that the earth was spher- 
ical, and that the East Indies, the great El Dorado of 
the century, might be reached by circumnavigating 
the globe. If we picture to ourselves the mental 
condition of the age and the state of science, we shall 
find no difficulty in conceiving the scorn and incre- 
dulity with which the theory of Columbus was 
received. We shall not wonder that he was regarded 
as a madman or as a fool; we are not surprised to 
remember that he encountered repulse upon repulse 
as he journeyed wearily from court to court, and 
pleaded in vain to the sovereigns of Europe for aid 
to prosecute his great design. The marvel is that 
when door after door was closed against him, when 
all ears were deaf to his earnest importunities, when 
day by day the opposition to his views increased, 
when, weary and footsore, he was forced to beg a bit 
of bread and a cup of water for his fainting and fam- 
ishing boy at the door of a Spanish convent, his rea- 
son did not give way, and his great heart did not 
break with disappointment. 

But he felt himself to be the instrument of a 
higher power, and his soul was then as firm and 
steadfast as when, launched in his frail caravel upon 
the ocean, he pursued day after day and night after 
night, amidst a murmuring, discontented, and even 
mutinous crew, his westward path across the trackless 
waters. No doubt he believed himself to be inspired, 
or at least specially prompted from above. This was 
shown by his tenacious observance of all ceremonies 
of the Church, in his unaffected piet}^, and in that 
lofty and solemn enthusiasm which was a character- 



72 DUE SOUTH. 

istic of his whole life. This must have been the 
secret in no small degree of the power he exerted so 
successfully over his semi-barbarous followers, who 
were more affected by awe than by fear. It was the 
devout and lofty aspect of their commander which 
controlled his sailors under circumstances so trying. 
We can conceive of his previous sorrows, but what 
imagination can form an adequate conception of his 
hopefulness and gratitude when the tokens of the 
neighborhood of land first greeted his senses ? What 
rapture must have been his when the keel of his 
barque first grounded on the shore of San Salvador, 
and he planted the royal standard in the soil, as the 
Viceroy and High-Admiral of Spain in the New 
World ! No matter what chanced thereafter, a king's 
favor or a king's displeasure, royal largesses or royal 
chains, that moment of noble exultation was worth a 
lifetime of trials. 

Columbus first named Cuba " Juana," in honor of 
Prince John, son of Ferdinand and Isabella. Subse- 
quently the king named it Fernandina. This was 
changed to Santiago, and finally to Ave Maria ; but 
the aboriginal designation has never been lost, Cuba 
being its Indian and only recognized name. The new- 
comers found the land inhabited by a most peculiar 
race, hospitable, inoffensive, timid, fond of the dance 
and the rude music of their own people, yet naturally 
indolent, from the character of the climate they inhab- 
ited. They had some definite idea of God and heaven, 
and were governed by patriarchs or kings, whose 
word was their only law, and whose age gave them 
undisputed precedence. They spoke the dialect of 
the Lucayos, or Bahamas, from which islands it is 
presumed by historians they originated ; but it would 



INTRODUCTION OF SLAJ^ERY. 73 

seem more reasonable to suppose that both the people 
of the Bahamas and of the West India isles came 
originally from the mainland ; that is, either north or 
south of the Isthmus of Panama. In numbers they 
were vaguely estimated at a million, a calculation the 
correctness of which we cannot but doubt. Reliable 
local authority, Cubans who have made a study of 
the early history of the island, assured the author 
that the aborigines at the time of Velasquez's first 
settlement, say in 1512, could not have exceeded four 
hundred thousand. They had but few weapons of 
offense or defense, and knew not the use of the bow 
and arrow. Being a peaceful race and having no wild 
animals to contend with, their ingenuity had never 
been taxed to invent weapons of warfare against man 
or beast. The natives were at once subjected by 
the new-comers, who reduced them gradually to an 
actual state of slavery, and proving hard task-masters, 
the poor overworked creatures died by hundreds, until 
they had nearly disappeared. The home government 
then granted permission to import negroes from the 
coast of Africa to labor upon the soil and to seek for 
gold, which was known to exist in the river courses. 
Thus commenced the foreign slave-trade of the West 
Indies, King Ferdinand himself sending fifty slaves 
from Seville to labor in the mines, and from that time 
this plague spot upon humanity has festered on the 
island. It should be remembered in this connection 
that previous to the discoveries of Columbus, negro 
slavery had been reduced to a system by the Moors, 
and thus existed in Spain before the days of the great 
Genoese. 

The Spaniards were not content with putting the 
aborigines to labor far beyond their power of endur- 



74 DUE SOUTH. 

ance on the soil where they were born, but shipped 
them by hundreds to Spain to be sold in the slave- 
market of Seville, the proceeds being turned into the 
royal treasury. Columbus himself was the promoter 
of this outrageous return for the hospitality he had 
received at the hands of the natives. Irving apolo- 
getically says he was induced to this course in order 
to indemnify the sovereigns of Castile and Leon for 
the large expense his expedition had been to them. 
The fact that the great navigator originated the slave- 
trade in the New World cannot be ignored, though it 
detracts in no small degree from the glory of his 
career. 

Although the conquerors have left us but few de- 
tails respecting these aborigines, still we know with 
certainty from the narrative of Columbus, and those 
of some of his most intelligent followers, that they 
were docile, artless, generous, but inclined to ease; 
that they were well-formed, grave, and far from pos- 
sessing the vivacity of the natives of the south of 
Europe. They expressed themselves with a certain 
modesty and respect, and were hospitable to the last 
degree. Reading between the lines of the records of 
history, it is manifest that after their own rules and 
estimates, their lives were chaste and proper, though 
it was admissible for kings to have several wives. 
Moreover, though living in a state of nudity, they 
religiously observed the decencies of life, and were 
more outraged by Spanish lasciviousness than can be 
clearly expressed. This debasing trait, together with 
the greed for gold exhibited by the new-comers, dis- 
abused the minds of the natives as to the celestial 
origin of their visitors, a belief which they at first 
entertained, and which the Spaniards for mercenary 



THE ABORIGINES. 75 

purposes strove to impress upon them. The labor of 
this people was limited to the light work necessary to 
provide for the prime wants of life, beyond which 
they knew nothing, while the bounteous climate of 
ths tropics spared the necessity of clothing. They 
preferred hunting and fishing to agriculture ; beans 
and maize, with the fruits that nature gave them in 
abundance, rendered their diet at once simple, nutri- 
tious, and entirely adequate to all their wants. They 
possessed no quadrupeds of any description, except a 
race of voiceless dogs, as they were designated by the 
early writers, — why we know not, since they bear no 
resemblance to the canine species, but are not very 
unlike a large rat. This animal is trapped and eaten 
by the people on the island to this day, having much 
of the flavor and nature of the rabbit. 

The native Cubans were of tawny complexion and 
beardless, resembling in many respects the aborigines 
of North America, and as Columbus described them 
in his first communication to his royal patrons, were 
"loving, tractable, and peaceable; though entirely 
naked, their manners were decorous and praise- 
worthy." The wonderful fecundity of the soil, its 
range of noble mountains, its widespread and well- 
watered plains, with its extended coast line and ex- 
cellent harbors, all challenged the admiration of the 
discoverers, so that Columbus recorded in his journal 
these words : " It is the most beautiful island that 
eyes ever beheld, — full of excellent ports and pro- 
found rivers." And again he says ; " It excels all 
other countries, as far as the day surpasses the night 
in brightness and splendor." The spot where the 
Spaniards first landed is supposed to be on the east 
coast, just west of Nuevitas. "As he approached 



76 DUE SOUTH. 

the island," says Irving, "he was struck with its 
magnitude and the grandeur of its features : its airy 
mountains, which reminded him of Sicily ; its fertile 
yalleys and long sweeping plains, watered by noble 
rivers ; its stately forests ; its bold promontories and 
stretching headlands, which melted away into remot- 
est distance." 

Excursions inland corroborated the favorable im- 
pression made by the country bordering upon the 
coast. The abundance of yams, Indian corn, and 
various fruits, together with the plentifulness of wild 
cotton, impressed the explorers most favorably. Their 
avarice and greed were also stimulated by the belief 
that gold was to be found in large quantities, having 
received enough to convince them of its actual pres- 
ence in the soil, but in the supposition that the pre- 
cious metal was to be found in what is termed paying 
quantities they were mistaken. 

The Spaniards were not a little surprised to see 
the natives using rude pipes, in which they smoked a 
certain dried leaf with apparent gratification. To- 
bacco was indigenous, and in the use of this now 
universal narcotic, these simple savages indulged in 
at least one luxury. The flora was strongly indi- 
vidualized. The frangipanni, tall and almost leafless, 
with thick fleshy shoots, decked with a small white 
blossom, was very fragrant and abundant ; here also 
was the wild passion-flower, in which the Spaniards 
thought they beheld the emblems of our Saviour's 
passion. The golden-hued peta was found beside the 
myriad-flowering oleander, while the undergrowth was 
braided with cacti and aloes. The poisonous man- 
chineel was observed, a drop of whose milky juice 
will burn the flesh like vitriol. Here the invaders 



INDIAN HOSPITALITY. 77 

also observed and noted the night-blooming cereus. 
They were delighted by fruits of which they knew 
not the names, such as the custard-apple, mango, za- 
pota, banana, and others, growing in such rank luxu- 
riance as to seem miraculous. We can well conceive 
of the pleasure and surprise of these adventurous 
strangers, when first partaking of these new and del- 
icate products. This was four hundred years ago, 
and to-day the same flora and the same luscious food 
grow there in similar abundance. Nature in this 
land of ceaseless summer puts forth strange eager- 
ness, ever running to fruits, flowers, and fragrance, as 
if they were outlets for her exuberant fecundity. 

The inoffensive, unsuspicious natives shared freely 
everything they possessed with the invaders. Hos- 
pitality was with them an instinct, fostered by nature 
all about them ; besides which it was a considerable 
time before they ceased to believe their guests supe- 
rior beings descended from the clouds in their winged 
vessels. The Indians lived in villages of two or three 
hundred houses, built of wood and palm-leaf, each 
dwelling containing several families, the whole of 
one lineage, and all were governed by caciques or 
kings, the spirit of the government being patriarchal. 

We are told by Las Casas, who accompanied Ve- 
lasquez in all his expeditions, that " their dances were 
graceful and their singing melodious, while with 
primeval innocence they thought no harm of being 
clad only with nature's covering." The description 
of the gorgeous hospitality extended to these treach- 
erous invaders is absolutely touching in the light of 
our subsequent knowledge. They reared no sacred 
temples, nor did they seem to worship idols, and yet 
some few antiquities have been preserved which 



78 DUE SOUTH. 

would seem to indicate that the natives possessed gro- 
tesque images, half human and half animal, like Chi- 
nese gods in effect. These were wrought so rudely 
out of stone as hardly to convey any fixed idea ; 
vague and imperfect, it is not safe to define them as 
idolatrous images. They might have been left here 
by a previous race, for, as we are all aware, respect- 
able authorities hold that this part of the world was 
originally peopled by Carthaginians, Israelites, Egyp- 
tians, Hindoos, and Africans. Columbus, in his sec- 
ond voyage to the West Indies, found the stern-post 
of a vessel lying on the shore of one of the Leeward 
isles, which was strongly presumptive evidence that 
a European ship had been in these waters before him. 
The fact that at this writing, as already described, 
there lies in the harbor of Santiago the wreck of the 
old St. Paul, which must be over three centuries old, 
shows how long a piece of marine architecture may 
last, submerged in salt water. 

An idol similar to those referred to was dug up in 
Hayti, and is now believed to be in the British Mu- 
seum, drawings of which the author has seen, and 
which resemble original religious emblems examined 
by him in the caves of Elephanta, at Bombay. This 
emblem, carved by a people unacquainted with the use 
of edge tools, is believed by antiquarians to afford a de- 
gree of light as to the history of worship of the ancient 
inhabitants of Hispaniola, and also to form a collat- 
eral support of the conjecture that they sprang from 
the parent stock of Asia. According to Las Casas, 
the native Cubans had a vague tradition of the for- 
mation of the earth, and of all created things ; of the 
deluge, of the ark, the raven, and the dove. They 
knew the tradition of Noah also, according to the same 



HABITS OF THE ABORIGINES. 79 

high authority, but for our own part we do not be- 
lieve that the aborigines had any knowledge of this 
Biblical story. Their priests were fanatics and kept 
the people in fear by gross and extravagant means ; 
but as to any formulated system of religious worship, 
it may be doubted if the aborigines of Cuba recognized 
any at the time of its discovery by Columbus. Un- 
broken peace reigned among them, and they turned 
their hands against no other people. 

These aborigines exhibited many of the traits uni- 
versally evinced by savage races, such as painting 
their bodies with red earth and adorning their heads 
with the feathers of brilliant birds. Much of the soil 
is red, almost equal to a pigment, for which purpose 
it was employed by the natives. They lived mostly in 
the open air, weaving themselves hammocks in which 
they slept, suspended among the trees. The cotton 
which they spun grew wild, but tobacco they planted 
and cultivated after a rude fashion. The iguana and 
the voiceless dog, already spoken of, were hunted and 
eaten, the former of the lizard family, the latter 
scarcely more than fifteen inches long. They had 
domestic birds which they fattened and ate. Their 
only arms were lances tipped with sea-shells, and a 
sort of wooden sword, both of which were more for 
display than for use. Fish they caught in nets and 
also with hooks made of bones. Their boats, or canoes, 
were formed of the dug-out trunks of trees, and some 
of these canoes, as Columbus tells us, were sufficiently 
large to accommodate fifty men. An ancient writer 
upon this subject says the oars were well formed 
and properly fitted, but were used only with the 
power of the arms, that is as paddles, no rowlocks 
being cut in the boat. The speed attained by them 



% 



80 DUE SOUTH. 

was remarkable, reaching four leagues an hour when 
an effort to that end was made by the occupants. A 
large canoe, made from the straight trunk of a ma- 
hogany tree, is described as having been five feet in 
width and seventy-five feet long. This craft was pro- 
pelled by twenty-five oarsmen on each side, a steers- 
man in the stem, and a lookout at the prow. This 
was a cacique's barge, in which he made visits of state 
along shore and up the rivers. 

History has preserved a remarkable and charac- 
teristic speech made by a venerable cacique, who 
approached Columbus with great reverence on the 
occasion of his second visit to Cuba, and who, after 
presenting him with a basket of ripe fruit, said: 
" Whether you are divinities or mortal men, we know 
not. You have come into these countries with a 
force, against which, were we inclined to resist, it 
would be folly. We are all therefore at your mercy ; 
but if you are men, subject to mortality like ourselves, 
you cannot be unapprised that after this life there is 
another, wherein a very different portion is allotted 
to good and bad men . If therefore you expect to die, 
and believe, with us, that every one is to be rewarded 
in a future state according to his conduct in the pres- 
ent, you will do no hurt to those who do none to 
you." This was duly interpreted to Columbus by a 
native whom he had taken to Spain, and who had 
there acquired the Spanish language. His name was 
Didacus, an d the date of the speec h was July 7, 
1492. The truth of this version is attested by Her- 
rera and others. 

The reception which Bartholomew Columbus, who 
was appointed Deputy Governor in the absence of the 
Admiral, afterwards met with in his progress through 



A NATIVE ENTERTAINMENT. 81 

the island to collect tribute from the several caciques 
manifested not only kindness and submission, but also 
munificence. Having heard of the eagerness of the 
strangers for gold, such of them as possessed any- 
brought it forth and freely bestowed it upon the 
Spaniards. Those who had not gold brought abun- 
dance of cotton. One cacique in the interior, named 
Behechio, invited the Deputy Governor to a state en- 
tertainment, on which occasion he was received with 
great ceremony. As he approached the king's dwell- 
ing, the royal wives, thirty in number, carrying 
branches of palm in their hands, came forth to greet 
the guest with song and dance. These matrons were 
succeeded by a train of virgins. The first wore 
aprons of cotton, the last were arrayed only in the in- 
nocence of nature, their hair flowing long and freely 
about their shoulders and necks. Their limbs were 
finely proportioned, and their complexions, though 
brown, were smooth, shining, and lovely. The Span- 
iards were struck with admiration, believing that they 
beheld the dryads of the woods and the nymphs of 
the ancient fables. The branches which they bore 
were delivered to the strangers with low obeisance, 
indicating entire submission. When the Spaniards 
entered the rural palace, amid songc and the rude 
music of the people, they found there a plentiful and, 
according to the Indian mode of living, a su-nptuous 
banquet prepared for them. 

After the repast the guests were each conducted to 
separate lodgings, and each provided with a cotto* 
hammock. On the next day feasting and games were 
resumed ; dancing and singing closed each evening for 
four consecutive days, and when the Deputy Governor 
and his people departed, they were laden with gifts 



82 DUE SOUTH. 

by their generous entertainers, who also accompanied 
them far on their way. This episode will perhaps 
serve better to give us a just insight into the condi- 
tion and character of the aborigines of Cuba at that 
early period than any amount of detailed description 
possibly could. 

These aborigines, according to Las Casas, had no 
tradition even, touching their own origin, and when 
asked about it only shook their heads and pointed to 
the sky. Antiquarians have endeavored to draw some 
reliable or at least reasonable deductions from the col- 
lection of bones and skeletons found in the mountain 
caves of the island, but no conclusion worthy of record 
has ever been arrived at. Still, upon these evidences 
some scientists pin their faith that Cuba was a por- 
tion of the primitive world. Speaking of these caves, 
there are many subterranean openings on the island, 
down which rivers of considerable size abruptly dis- 
appear, not again to be met with, though it is reason- 
ably presumed that they find their way through the 
rocks and soil to the sea-coast. 

During the ten years subsequent to its discovery, 
Columbus visited and r»2£ia.ally explored the island 
at four different tisies, the last being in 1502, four 
years previous io his death, which took place at Val- 
ladolid in \L\)6. It seems singular to us that his in- 
vestigations left him still ignorant of the fact that 
Cub^, was an island, and not a part of a new con- 
tinent. This conviction remained with him during 
bis lifetime. It Was not until 1511 that the Span- 
iards commenced to colonize the island, when Diego 
Columbus, then Governor of San Domingo, sent an ex- 
pedition of three hundred men for the purpose, under 
the command of Diego Velasquez, whose landing was 



FIRST GOVERNOR OF CUBA. 83 

disputed by the natives. A period of ten years had 
served to open their eyes to Spanish lust and love of 
gold, and from having at first regarded them'as supe- 
rior beings, entitled to their obedience, they were 
finally thus driven to fight them in self-defense. But 
what could naked savages, armed only with clubs 
and spears, accomplish against Europeans, trained 
soldiers, furnished with firearms, protected by plate 
armor, and accompanied by bloodhounds, — men who 
had learned the art of war by fighting successfully 
with the valiant Moors? The natives were at once 
overpowered and hundreds were slaughtered. From 
that time forth they became the slaves of their con- 
querors ; a fact which reconciles us in some degree in 
the light of poetical justice to the fact that Amerigo 
Vespucci, who followed in the footsteps of others, yet 
took the honors of discovery so far as to give his 
name to the largest quarter of the globe. 

Diego Velasquez, the earliest Governor of the 
island, appears to have been an energetic and efficient 
magistrate, and to have administered affairs with 
vigor and intelligence. He did not h7<% however, in 
a period when justice ever erred on the siac of mercy, 
and his harsh and cruel treatment of the ab rigines 
will always remain a stain upon his memory. The 
native population soon dwindled away under tx_e 
sway of the Spaniards, who imposed tasks upon them 
far beyond their physical powers of endurance. The 
victims of this hardship had no one to befriend them 
at that time, and no one has done them justice in 
history. The few glimpses of their character which 
have come down to us are of a nature greatly to in- 
terest us in this now extinct race. Their one fault 
was in trusting the invaders at all. At the outset 



84 DUE SOUTH. 

they could have swept them from the face of the 
earth, but, once permitted to establish themselves, 
they soon became too powerful to be driven out of 
the land. A native chief, whose only crime was that 
of taking up arms in defense of the integrity of his 
little territory, fell into the hands of Velasquez, and 
was cruelly burned at the stake, near what is now 
the town of Yara, as a punishment for his patriotism. 
The words of this unfortunate but brave chief 
(Hatuey), extorted by the torments which he suf- 
fered, were: "I prefer hell to heaven, if there are 
Spaniards in heaven ! " 

In point of energetic action and material progress, 
Velasquez reminds us of a later Governor-General, the 
famous Tacon. In a single decade, Velasquez founded 
the seven cities of Baracoa, Santiago de Cuba, Trin- 
idad, Bayamo, Puerto del Principe, St. Spiritus, and, 
on the south coast near Batabano, Havana, since 
removed to its present site. He caused the mines to 
be opened and rendered them profitable, introduced 
valuable breeds A cattle, instituted agricultural en- 
terprise, and opened a large trade with San Domingo, 
Jamaica, and the Spanish peninsula. Population in- 
creased rapidly, thousands of persons emigrating 
annually from Europe, tempted by the inviting stories 
of the returned explorers. Emigration schemes were 
approved and fostered by the home government, and 
thus a large community was rapidly divided among 
the several cities upon the island. Still this new 
province was considered mainly in the light of a 
military depot by the Spanish throne, in its famous 
operations at that period in Mexico. The fact that 
it was destined to prove the richest jewel in the 
Castilian crown, and a mine of wealth to the Spanish 



CONQUEST OF MEXICO. %o 

treasurv, was not dreamed of at that date in its his- 
tory. Even the enthusiastic followers of Cortez, 
who sought that fabulous El Dorado in the New 
World, had no promise for this gem of the Caribbean 
Sea ; but, in spite of every side issue and all con- 
tending interests, the island continued to grow in 
numbers and importance, while its native resources 
were far beyond the appreciation of the home govern- 
ment. 

Thus Cuba became the headquarters of the Spanish 
power in the West, forming the point of departure 
for those military expeditions which, though circum- 
scribed in numbers, were yet so formidable in the 
energy of the leaders, and in the arms, discipline, 
courage, fanaticism, and avarice of their followers, 
that they were amply adequate to carry out the vast 
scheme of conquest for which they were designed. 
It was hence that Cortez embarked for the conquest 
of Mexico ; a gigantic undertaking, a slight glance at 
which will recall to the mind of the reader the period 
of history to which we would direct his attention. 

Landing upon the continent (1518) with a little 
band scarcely more than half the complement of a 
modern regiment, Cortez prepared to traverse an 
unknown country, thronged by savage tribes with 
whose character, habits, and means of defense he 
was wholly unacquainted. This romantic adventure, 
worthy of the palmiest days of chivalry, was finally 
crowned with success, though checkered with various 
fortunes, and stained with bloody episodes that prove 
how the threads of courage and ferocity are insepa- 
rably blended in the woof and warp of Spanish 
character. It must be remembered, however, that 
the spirit of the age was harsh, relentless, and intol- 



86 DUE SOUTH. 

erant, and that if the Aztecs, idolaters and sacrificers 
of human victims, found no mercy at the hands of the 
fierce Catholics whom Cortez commanded, neither 
did the Indians of our own section of the continent 
fare much better at the hands of men professing to 
be disciples of a purer faith, and coming to these 
shores, not as warriors, but themselves persecuted 
fugitives. 

The Spanish generals who invaded Mexico en- 
countered a people who had attained a far higher 
point of civilization than their red brethren of the 
outlying Caribbean Islands, or those of the north- 
eastern portion of the continent. Vast pyramids, 
imposing sculptups, curious arms, fanciful garments, 
various kinoV of manufactures, the relics of which 
strongly interest the student of the past, filled the 
invaders with surprise. There was much that was 
curious and startling in their mythology, and the 
capital of the Mexican empire presented a strange 
"md fascinating spectacle to the eyes of Cortez. The 
'rocky amphitheatre in the midst of which it was 
built still remains unchanged, but the great lake 
which surrounded it, traversed by causeways and 
covered with floating gardens laden with flowers, is 
gone. 

The star of the Aztec dynasty set in blood. In 
vain did the inhabitants of the conquered city, roused 
to madness by the cruelty and extortion of the 
victors, expel them from their midst. Cortez refused 
to flee farther than the shore ; the light of his burn- 
ing galleys rekindled the desperate valor of his fol- 
lowers, and Mexico fell, as a few years after did Peru 
under the perfidy and sword of Pizarro, thus com- 
pleting the scheme of conquest, and giving Spain a 



SPANISH CONQUERORS. 87 

colonial empire far more splendid than that of any 
other power in Christendom. 

Of the agents in this vast scheme of territorial 
aggrandizement, we see Cortez dying in obscurity 
and Pizarro assassinated in his palace, while retrib- 
utive justice has overtaken the monarchy at whose 
behest the richest portions of the Western Continent 
were violently wrested from their native possessors. 



CHAPTER V. 

Baracoa, the First Capital. — West Indian Buccaneers. — Military 
Despotism. — A Perpetual State of Siege. — A Patriotic Son of 
Cuba. — Political Condition of the Island. — Education of Cuban 
Youths. — Attempts at Revolution. — Fate of General Narciso Lo- 
pez. — The Late Civil War and its Leader. — Terrible Slaughter of 
Spanish Troops. — Stronghold of the Insurgents. — Guerrillas. — 
Want of Self -Reliance. — Spanish Art, Literature, and Conquest. — 
What Spain was. — What Spain is. — Rise and Fall of an Empire. 

Baracoa lies one hundred miles northeast from 
Santiago, and was the capital of the island as first 
established by Velasquez. Here Leo X. erected in 
1518 the first cathedral in Cuba. The town is situ- 
ated on the north coast, near the eastern extremity of 
the island, having a small but deep harbor, and a 
considerable trade in the shipping of sugar and fruits 
to this country. The population at present numbers 
about six thousand. Five years after the settlement 
of Baracoa, the capital was moved to Santiago de 
Cuba, where it remained until 1589, when Havana 
was formally declared to be the capital of the island, 
its first Captain- General being Juan de Tejada. The 
city was captured and partially destroyed by a French 
pirate in 1638, and afterwards suffered a like catas- 
trophe at the hands of the buccaneers of combined 
nationality, embracing some disaffected Spaniards. 
So late as 1760 Havana was captured and held by 
the English, under the Duke of Albemarle, but was 
restored to Spain, after a brief occupancy, in 1763. 
The first grand impulse to the material prosperity of 



WEST INDIAN BUCCANEERS. 89 

the city, anomalous though it may seem, was given 
through its capture by the British. It is true that 
the victors seized everything by force, but they also 
taught the listless people how to repair their losses, 
and how to multiply prosperity. The port of Havana, 
accustomed heretofore to receive the visits of half a 
score of European vessels annually, suddenly became 
the rendezvous of a thousand ships in the same period 
of time, much to the surprise of the inhabitants. 
Bourbon in nature as the Spaniards were and still 
are, they could not but profit by the brilliant example 
of their enemies, and from that time forward the city 
grew rapidly in commercial importance, and has con- 
tinued to do so, notwithstanding the rivalry of Ma- 
tanzas, Santiago, Cienfuegos, and other ports, as well 
as the drawbacks of civil war and business stagna- 
tion, 

These buccaneers of the West Indies, to whom we 
have so often alluded, were composed mostly of En- 
glish, French, and Dutch adventurers, whose bitter 
hatred the Spaniards early incurred. They were for 
a long time their terror and scourge, being the real 
masters of the ocean in these latitudes. They feared 
no enemy and spared none, while by shocking acts of 
needless cruelty they proved themselves fiends in hu- 
man shape. Among these rovers there were often 
found men particularly fitted for the adventurous ca- 
reer they had adopted, men who combined remarka- 
ble executive ability with a spirit of daring bravery 
and a total disregard of all laws, human and divine. 
By a few such leaders the bands of freebooters were 
held in hand, and preserved their, organization for 
many years ; obedience to the word of their chief, after 
he was once chosen as such, being the one inviolable 



90 DUE SOUTH. 

law of their union. The romance of the sea owes its 
most startling chapters to the career of these pirates. 
Sometimes their principal rendezvous was at the Isle 
of Pines ; at others further north among the Baha- 
mas, Nassau being one of their favorite resorts. 

In the mean time, under numerous and often changed 
Captains-General, the island of Cuba increased in 
population by free emigration from Spain, and by the 
constant importations of slaves from Africa. It may 
be said to have been governed by a military despot- 
ism from the very outset to the present time ; and 
nothing short of such an arbitrary rule could main- 
tain the connection between the island and so exact- 
ing a mother country, more than three thousand miles 
across the ocean. Accordingly we find the Captain- 
General invested with unlimited power. He is in fact 
a viceroy appointed by the crown of Spain, and ac- 
countable only to the reigning sovereign for his ad- 
ministration of the colony. His rule is absolute. He 
has the power of life and death in his hands. He 
can by his arbitrary will send into exile any. person 
who resides in the island whom he considers inimical 
to the interests of the home government. Of the 
exercise of this power instances are constantly occur- 
ring, as in the case of the editor of the " Revista 
Economica," already recorded. He can at will sus- 
pend the operation of the laws and ordinances, can 
destroy or confiscate property, and in short, the island 
may be said to be in a perpetual state of siege. 

Such is the infirmity of human nature that few 
individuals can be safely trusted with despotic power ; 
accordingly we find no Captain-General whose ad- 
ministration will bear the test of rigid examination. 
Indeed, the venality of a majority of these officials 



CUPIDITY OF CHIEF OFFICIAL. 91 

has been so gross as to have passed into a proverb. 
It is not to be expected that officers from Spain should 
consult the true interests of the Cubans; they are 
not sent hither for that purpose, but merely to look 
after the revenue of the crown, and to swell it to the 
very uttermost. The office of Governor-General is of 
course a brilliant prize, for which there are plenty of 
aspirants eagerly struggling, while the means by which 
a candidate is most likely to succeed in obtaining the 
appointment presupposes a character of an inferior 
order. This official knows that he cannot count on a 
long term of office, and hence he makes no effort to 
study the interests or gain the good- will of the people 
over whom he presides. He has a twofold object only 
in view : namely, to keep the revenue well up to the 
mark, and to enrich himself as speedily as possible. 
The princely salary he receives — fifty thousand dol- 
lars per annum, with a palace and household atten- 
dants supplied — is but a portion of the income 
which, by a system of peculation, he is enabled to di- 
vert to his private coffers. As a rule, the Captain- 
General comes out to Cuba a poor man, and returns a 
rich one, however brief his term of office. 

Occasionally during the lapse of years a true and 
patriotic man has filled this important post, when the 
remarkable elements of prosperity contained within 
the limits of this peerless land were rapidly developed 
and advanced. Such an one was Don Luis de las 
Casas, whose name is cherished by all patriotic Cu- 
bans, as also is that of Don Francisco de Arrango, an 
accomplished statesman and a native of Havana. He 
was educated in Spain, and designed to follow the law 
as a profession. This man, being thoroughly ac- 
quainted with the possibilities of the island and the 



92 DUE SOUTH. 

condition and wants of his countrymen, succeeded in 
procuring the amelioration of some of the most fla- 
grant abuses of the colonial system. In his argument 
for reform before the home government, he told them 
that serious dissent permeated every class of the 
community, and was ,bid in return to employ a still 
more stringent system of rule. To this Arrango re- 
plied that force was not remedy, and that to effectu- 
ally reform the rebellious they must first reform the 
laws. His earnest reason carried conviction, and 
finally won concession. By his exertions the staple 
productions of the island were so much increased that 
the revenue, in place of falling short of the expenses 
of the government as his enemies had predicted, soon 
yielded a large surplus. He early raised his voice 
against the iniquitous slave trade, and suggested the 
introduction of white labor, though he admitted that 
the immediate and wholesale abolition of slavery was 
impracticable. This was the rock on which he split, 
as it regarded his influence with the Spaniards in 
Cuba, that is, with the planters and rich' property 
holders. Slavery with them was a sine qua non. 
Many of them owned a thousand Africans each, and 
the institution, as an arbitrary power as well as the 
means of wealth, was ever dear to the Spanish heart. 
Former and subsequent Captains-General not only 
secretly encouraged the clandestine importation of 
slaves, after issuing an edict prohibiting it, but prof- 
ited pecuniarily by the business. It was owing to his 
exertions that the duty on coffee, spirits, and cotton 
was remitted for a period of ten years, and that ma- 
chinery for the sugar plantations was allowed to be 
imported into Cuba from the United States free of 
all duty. 



PATRIOTISM OF ARRANGO. 93 

The patriotic services of Arrange- were appreciated 
by the court of Madrid, although he was at times 
the inflexible opponent of its selfish schemes. The 
Cross of Charles III. showed the esteem in which he 
was held by that monarch. With a modesty which 
did him honor he declined to accept a title of nobility 
which was afterwards tendered to him by his king. 
This patriotic son of Cuba was at heart a republican, 
and declared that the king could make noblemen, but 
God only could make gentlemen. In 1813, when, by 
the adoption of the Constitution of 1812, Cuba be- 
came entitled to representation in the general Cortes, 
— a privilege but briefly enjoj^ed, — he went to Ma- 
drid as a deputy, and there achieved the crowning 
glory of his useful life : namely, the opening of the 
ports of the island to foreign trade. In 1817 he re- 
turned to his native land with the rank of Counselor 
of State and Financial Intendant of Cuba, also 
possessing the Grand Cross of the Order of Isabella. 
He died in 1837, at the age of seventy-two, after a 
long and eminently useful life, bequeathing large 
sums of money for various public purposes in his na- 
tive isle. 

When the invasion of Spain, which took place in 
1808, produced the Constitution of 1812, Cuba was 
considered entitled, as we have stated, to enjoy its 
benefits, and it was so announced by royal statute ; 
but political revolution at home and a manifest res- 
tiveness upon the island finally led in 1836 to the 
revoking of this royal statute, which had never been 
practically operative, and the old Constitution was 
proclaimed. 

Up to this period of time the various political 
events at home had disturbed but slightly the tran- 



94 DUE SOUTH. 

quillity of this rich province of Spain. The Cubans, 
although sensible of the progress of public intelli- 
gence and wealth under the protection of a few en- 
lightened governors and through the influence of 
some distinguished and patriotic individuals, still felt 
that these advances were slow, partial, and limited. 
The most intelligent realized that there was no regu- 
lar system ; that the public interests were sure to 
suffer, confided to officials entrusted with unlimited 
power. They frequently saw themselves betrayed 
by a cupidity which impelled the authorities to en- 
rich themselves in every possible way at the expense 
of general suffering. Added to these sources of dis- 
content was the powerful influence exerted by the 
spectacle of the rapidly increasing greatness of the 
United States, where a portion of the Cuban youths 
were wont to receive their education. No matter 
in what political faith these youths had left home, 
they were sure to return republicans. 

There also were the examples of Mexico and Span- 
ish South America, which had recently conquered 
with their blood their emancipation from monarchy. 
Liberal ideas were naturally diffused by Cubans who 
had traveled either in Europe or North America, 
there imbibing the spirit of modern civilization. But 
with a fatuity and obstinacy which has always char- 
acterized her, the mother country resolved to ignore 
all causes of discontent, and their significant influence 
as manifested by the people of the island. In place 
of yielding to the popular current and introducing a 
liberal and mild system of government, she drew the 
reins yet tighter, curtailing many former privileges. 
Thus it was that blind persistence in the fatal princi- 
ple of despotic domination relaxed the natural bonds 



ATTEMPTS AT REVOLUTION. 95 

uniting Cuba and the mother country, and infused 
gall into the hearts of the governed. Obedience still 
continued, but it was the dangerous obedience of ter- 
ror, not the secure and instinctive spirit of loyalty. 

This severity on the part of the home government 
has naturally given rise to several attempts to cast off 
the Spanish yoke. The first occurred in 1823, when 
Simon Bolivar offered to aid the disaffected party by 
throwing an invading force into the island. Another 
was made in 1826, and a third in 1828. In 1848 a 
conspiracy was formed at Cienfuegos and Trinidad to 
establish Cuban independence, under the leadership 
of General Narciso Lopez ; but finding that his plans 
were premature, he escaped to this country, and here 
arranged a descent upon the island, which he led in 
person : this was in 1850. General Lopez, however, 
was not seconded by the tiniid natives, though they 
had freely pledged themselves to do so, and his expe- 
dition, after winning one decisive battle and several 
important skirmishes, was at last overpowered and 
its leader promptly executed. General Lopez was 
an adopted citizen of Cuba, and was married to one 
of her daughters. He was executed at the age of 
fifty-two. 

The Lopez expedition would seem to have been the 
most serious and best organized attempt at revolution 
in Cuba by invasion, though there have been formi- 
dable attempts since. From 1868 to 1876 Cuba may 
be said to have been in a state of chronic civil war. 
This outbreak was led by Carlos Manuel de Cespedes, 
an able lawyer and wealthy planter of Bayamo, in 
the eastern department of the island. He raised the 
standard of independence on his estate, Demajagua, 
supported at the outset by less than fifty men. This 



96 DUE SOUTH. 

was in October, 1868, and by the middle of Novem- 
ber he had an organized army of twelve thousand 
men ; poorly armed, it must be admitted, but united 
in purpose and of determined will. That portion of 
the island contiguous to Santiago, and between that 
city' and Cienfuegos, was for a long period almost en- 
tirely in possession of the patriot forces. Here many 
sanguinary battles were fought with varying fortune, 
at terrible sacrifice of life, especially on the part of 
the government troops, over one hundred thousand of 
whom, first and last, are known to have perished in 
that district. Spain actually sent one hundred and 
forty-five thousand enlisted men to Cuba during the 
eight years of active warfare. Of this number those 
who finally returned to the European peninsula were 
but a few hundreds ! It was publicly stated in the 
Cortes of Madrid that not enough of that immense 
force ever returned to fill a single regiment ! The 
climate was far more fatal to these soldiers than were 
patriot bullets. The warfare was conducted by the 
native Cubans mostly on the guerrilla plan, and was 
ten times more destructive to the imported soldiers 
than to themselves. Discipline counted for little or 
nothing in contending with men who fought single- 
handed and from ambush, decimating the ranks of an 
invading column, who in turn could only fire at ran- 
dom. 

Exhaustion and promised concessions, which were, 
as usual with the Spanish government, never fulfilled, 
finally brought this struggle to an end ; but it cost 
Spain many millions of dollars and the lives of over 
a hundred and fifty thousand men, saying nothing of 
the destruction of an enormous amount of property 
on the island, belonging to loyal Spaniards. Miles 



STRONGHOLD OF INSURGENTS. 97 

upon miles of thrifty plantations, with all their build- 
ings and machinery, were laid waste, and remain so 
to this day. 

Since 1876 there have been roving bands of insur- 
gents in existence, causing the authorities more or 
less serious trouble, leading them at times to make 
serious attempts at their entire suppression. But 
the mountains and half-inaccessible forests of the 
eastern department still serve to secrete many armed 
and disaffected people, whose frequent outbreaks are 
made public by the slow process of oral information. 
The press is forbidden to publish any news of this 
character. Thus it will be seen that, although the 
spirit of liberty may slumber in the island, it is by 
no means dead, nor is the intense hatred which ex- 
ists between the home-born Spaniard and the native 
Cuban growing less from year to year. Indeed, the 
insurrection of Trinidad and Cienfuegos (1868) still 
smoulders, and any extreme political exigency would 
be liable to cause it to blaze forth with renewed 
force. The region where the insurgents have always 
made their rendezvous, and which they have virtu- 
ally held for years, is nearest to Guantanamo and 
Santiago. This mountainous district is the resort of 
all runaway slaves, escaped criminals, and those des- 
ignated as insurgents. These together form at the 
present time a roving community of several hundred 
desperate men. These refugees, divided into small 
bands, make predatory raids upon travelers and 
loyal planters, as we have described, to keep them- 
selves supplied with the necessities of life other than 
those afforded by the prolific hand of Nature. Occa- 
sionally they are organized by some fresh leader, 
some daring native, stimulated by a spirit of patriot- 



98 DUE SOUTH. 

ism, and possessing some executive ability ; then 
follows a systematic outbreak of just sufficient im- 
portance to harass the government, and to form, 
perhaps, an excuse for demanding a fresh regiment 
of victims from the European peninsula. Such a 
guerrilla contest engages the worst passions of the 
combatants, and quarter is neither asked nor given 
when they come face to face. The bloodthirsty acts 
of both sides, as related to the author during his 
late visit to the spot, are too horrible to record in 
these pages. It is not legitimate warfare, but rather 
wholesale murder, which characterizes these occasions, 
and there is no expedient of destruction not resorted 
to by both the refugees and the pursuing soldiers. 
The nature of the country favors the revolutionists, 
and determines their mode of conflict. Thus far, 
when the irregular bands have been strong enough to 
meet these detachments of regulars sent into their 
neighborhood to capture them, they have nearly al- 
ways beaten them gallantly, and this has served to 
perpetuate their hopes, desperate as is a cause which 
only outlaws, escaped criminals, and slaves dare to 
fight for. These people appear to be well supplied 
with arms and ammunition, which it is said are 
smuggled to them from sympathizers in this country, 
particularly from Florida. Though their ranks are 
supposed to embrace but small numbers, still they 
form a nucleus at all times, about which discontented 
spirits may gather. Thus it is found necessary to 
quarter a foreign army of thirty thousand soldiers 
upon the people at the present time, while half the 
navy of Spain lies anchored in the ports of the 
island. 

One great drawback and defect in the character 



WANT OF SELF-RELIANCE. 99 

of the native Cubans is a want of self-reliance. The 
remedy for the outrageous oppression under which 
they have so long struggled lies within themselves ; 
"for they can conquer who believe they can." In 
the consciousness of strength is strength, but the 
Creole republicans have never yet evinced the neces- 
sary degree of true manhood to challenge general 
outside sympathy, or to command the respect of 
other nationalities. The numerous revolutionary out- 
breaks upon the island — so frequent in the last half 
century as to be chronic — have all been of the most 
insignificant character, compared with the impor- 
tance of the occasion and the object in view. These 
efforts have mostly been made from without, almost 
entirely unsupported from within the borders of 
Cuba, with the exception of that of 1868. It appears 
incredible that an intelligent people, within so short 
a distance of our Southern coast, constantly visited 
by the citizens of a free republic, and having the 
example of successful revolt set them by the men 
of the same race, both in the North and the South, 
weighed down by oppression almost without parallel, 
should never have aimed an effectual blow at their 
oppressors. It would seem that the softness of the 
unrivaled climate of those skies, beneath which it is 
luxury only to exist, has unnerved this people, and 
that the effeminate spirit of the original inhabitants 
had descended in retribution to the posterity of their 
conquerors. 

In closing these brief chapters relating to the early 
history of the island of Cuba, and in bringing the 
record up to our own period, some natural reflections 
suggest themselves as to the present condition of the 
mother country. We follow with more than passing 



100 DUE SOUTH. 

interest the condition of Spain, whose history is so 
closely interwoven with our own. From the close of 
the fifteenth century our paths have run on in par- 
allel lines, but while we have gone on increasing in 
power and wealth, she has sank in the scale of deca- 
dence with a rapidity no less surprising than has been 
the speed of our own progress. At the commence- 
ment of the sixteenth century Spain threatened to 
become the mistress of the world, as Rome had been 
before her. She may be said to have at that period 
dominated Europe. In art she was in the very fore- 
most position : Murillo, Velasquez, Ribera, and other 
famous painters were her honored sons. In litera- 
ture she was also distinguished : both Cervantes and 
Lope de Vega contributed to her greatness and last- 
ing fame. While, in discoverers and conquerors, she 
sent forth Columbus, Cortez, and Pizarro. The ban- 
ners of Castile and Aragon floated alike on the Pa- 
cific and the margin of the Indian Ocean. Her ships 
sailed in every sea, and brought home freights of 
fabulous value from all the regions of the earth. 
Her manufacturers produced the richest silks and vel- 
vets ; her soil yielded corn and wine ; her warriors 
were adventurous and brave; her soldiers inherited 
the gallantry of the followers of Charles V. ; her 
cities were the splendid abodes of luxury, refinement, 
and elegance. She was the court of Europe, the 
acknowledged leader of chivalry and of grandeur. 

This is the picture of what Spain was at no re- 
mote period of time, but in her instance we have an 
example showing us that states are no more exempt 
than individuals from the mutability of fate. So was 
it with Egypt, Babylon, Assyria, and Rome, though 
in their case we look far back into the vista of his- 
tory to recall the change, whereas in the instance of 



DECLINE OF THE SPANISH EMPIRE. 101 

Spain we are contemporary witnesses. From a first- 
class power, how rapidly she has sunk into compar- 
ative insignificance ! She has been shorn of her 
wealthy colonies, one after another, in the East and 
in the West, holding with feeble grasp a few incon- 
siderable islands only besides this gem of the Antil- 
les, -the choicest jewel of her crown. Extremely 
poor and deeply indebted, she has managed for years 
to extort by means of the most outrageous sj^stem 
of taxation a large share of her entire revenue from 
the island of Cuba, her home population having long 
since become exhausted by over-burdensome imposts. 
Her nobles of to-day are an effeminate, soulless, and 
imbecile race, while the common people, with some 
excellent qualities, are yet ignorant, cruel, and pas- 
sionate. The whole country is divided against itself, 
the tottering throne being with difficulty upheld. 
Even the elements have of late seemed to combine 
against her, decimating whole cities of her southern 
possessions by earthquakes, and smiting her people 
with pestilence. 

This simple statement of her present situation is 
patent to all who read and observe. It is not an 
overdrawn picture. In it the moralist beholds the 
retributive justice of providence. As Spain in the 
plenitude of her power was ambitious, cruel, and per- 
fidious, so has the measure which she meted out to 
others been in return accorded to herself. As with 
fire and sword she swept the Aztec and the Incas 
from Mexico and Peru, so was she at last driven 
from these genial countries by their revolted inhabi- 
tants. The spoiler has been despoiled, the victor has 
been vanquished, and thus has Spain met the just 
fate clearly menaced b}^ the Scriptures to those who 
smite with the sword. 



CHAPTER VI. 

Geographical. — A Remarkable Weed. — Turtle-Hunting. — Turtle- 
Steaks in Olden Times. — The Gulf Stream. — Deep-Sea Sound- 
ings. — Mountain Range of Cuba. — Curious Geological Facts. — 
Subterranean Caverns. — Wild Animals. — The Rivers of the 
Island. — Fine Harbors. — Historic Memories of the Caribbean 
Sea. — Sentinel of the Gulf. — Importance of the Position. — 
Climate. — Hints for Invalids. — Matanzas. — Execution of a 
Patriot. — Valley of Yumuri; Caves of Bellamar; Puerto Prin- 
cipe; Cardenas. 

Having thus briefly glanced at the historical and 
political story of Cuba, — whose very name seems 
bathed in sunshine and fragrance, yet bedewed with 
human tears, — let us now consider its peculiarities 
of climate, soil, and population, together with its 
geographical characteristics. The form of the island 
is quite irregular, resembling the blade of a Turkish 
scimitar slightly curved back, or that of a long nar- 
row crescent, presenting its convex side to the north. 
It stretches away in this shape from east to west, 
throwing its western end into a curve, as if to form a 
barrier to the outlet of the Gulf of Mexico, and as if 
at some ancient period it had formed a part of the 
American continent ; severed on its north side from 
the Florida peninsula by the wearing of the Gulf 
Stream, and from Yucatan, on its southwestern point, 
by a current setting into the Gulf. Two broad chan- 
nels are thus formed, by either of which the Mexican 
Gulf is entered. 

These channels are nearly of the same width, some- 



GULF-WEED. 103 

what exceeding a hundred miles each, the northern 
passage being a few miles the broader. The Baha- 
ma Banks extend along its northern coast-line about 
fifty or sixty miles distant, where commences the 
group of many small isles known as the Bahamas, and 
of which we have already treated. On her eastern 
extreme, near Cape Maysi, Cuba is within about fifty 
miles of the western shore of Hayti, from which it is 
separated by the Windward Passage. The southern 
shore is washed by the Caribbean Sea, which is also 
here and there interspersed with small islands of little 
importance. One hundred and fifty miles due south 
lies the British island of Jamaica, with a superficial 
area of over four thousand square miles. Still further 
to the eastward, on the other side of Hayti, lies Porto 
Rico (like Cuba a Spanish possession), and the two 
groups of islands known as the Leeward and Wind- 
ward isles. These are of various nationalities, includ- 
ing English, French, and Dutch, thus completing the 
entire region familiarly known to us as the West 
Indies. 

In approaching the coast from the Windward isles, 
the observant traveler will notice the fields of what 
is called gulf-weed, which floats upon the surface of 
the sea. It is a unique genus, found nowhere ex- 
cept in these tropical waters, and must not be con- 
founded with the sea- weed encountered by Atlantic 
steamers off the Banks of Newfoundland, and about 
the edges of the Gulf Stream in that region. This 
singular and interesting weed propagates itself on 
the waves, and there sustains, as on the shore of 
New Providence, zoophytes and mollusks which also 
abound in these latitudes. The poetical theory re- 
lating to this sargasso, and possibly to the animals 



104 DUE SOUTH. 

that cling to it, is that it marks the site of an Atlan- 
tic continent sunk long ages since, and that, trans- 
formed from a rooting to a floating plant, it wanders 
round and round as if in search of the rocks upon 
which it once grew. The southern shore of Cuba 
presents much of special interest to the conchologist 
in the variety and beauty of the sea-shells that abound 
upon its beaches. The water is of an exquisite color, 
a brilliant green, very changeable, like liquid opal. 
Were an artist truthfully to depict it, he would be 
called color-mad. Northern skies are never reflected 
in waters of such fanciful hues. Some beautiful speci- 
mens of white corals are found here, but they are not 
a characteristic of the coast. 

On that portion bordering the Old Bahama Channel, 
and also opposite the Isle of Pines, which Columbus 
named Evangelista, — on this south shore, large num- 
bers of turtles are taken annually, which produce 
the best quality of tortoise-shell. It is strange that 
the habits of these creatures down here in the Carib- 
bean Sea should so closely resemble those of the tiny 
tortoises described by Thoreau as frequenting Wal- 
den Pond. The female turtle digs the hole in which 
to deposit her eggs on the sandy beach, just above the 
margin of high tide, generally choosing a moonlight 
night for the purpose. The hole is often so large 
that the turtle will require an hour of industrious 
labor to dig it to her entire satisfaction. Observing 
the strictest silence, the turtle-hunter steals upon the 
animal, and with a single motion turns it upon its 
back, rendering it utterly helpless, after which it can 
be secured at will. Thousands are annually caught 
in this manner. 

It is a curious fact worth recalling to memory that 



THE GULF STREAM. 105 

four hundred years ago, when Columbus first landed 
upon the island, he found that the aborigines kept 
turtle corrals near the beach, amply supplied with 
these animals. From them they procured eggs, and 
also furnished themselves with the only meat which 
it was possible to obtain, if we except that of the little 
"voiceless dog" which they hunted, and such birds as 
they could snare. Probably as many turtles were 
taken by those Carib Indians in 1492 as are caught 
by the fishermen this year of our Lord, in the same 
waters, showing how inexhaustible is the supply of 
Neptune's kingdom. Modern epicures may not there- 
fore claim any distinction as to the priority of dis- 
covery touching turtle soup and turtle steaks, both of 
which were certainly indulged in by the Caribs in 
Columbus' time, and probably they were in vogue 
many centuries previous. 

One neither departs from nor approaches the Cu- 
ban shore without crossing that marvelous ocean 
river, the Gulf Stream, with banks and bottom of 
cold water, while its body and surface are warm. Its 
color, in the region of the gulf where it seems to have 
its rise, is indigo blue, so distinct that the eye can 
follow its line of demarkation where it joins the com- 
mon waters of the sea in their prairie-green. Its sur- 
face temperature on the coast of the United States is 
from 75° to 80° Fahrenheit. Its current, of a uni- 
form speed of four to five miles per hour, expends 
immense power in its course, and moves a body of 
water in the latitude of the Carolina coast fully two 
hundred miles wide. This aqueous body exceeds in 
quantity the rivers of the Mississippi and the Ama- 
zon multiplied one thousand times. Its temperature 
diminishes very gradually, while it moves thousands of 



106 DUE SOUTH. 

leagues, until one branch loses itself in Arctic re- 
gions, and the other breaks on the coast of Europe. 
It is well known to navigators that one branch of the 
Gulf Stream finds its outlet northward from the 
Caribbean Sea through the Windward Passage, and 
that here the current extends to the depth of eight 
hundred fathoms ; the width, however, in this section 
is not over ten miles. It will be nothing new to tell 
the reader that the sea, especially in its proximity to 
the continents, has a similar topographical confor- 
mation beneath its surface. The bottom consists of 
hills, mountains, and valleys, like the surface of the 
earth upon which we live. A practical illustration 
of the fact is afforded in the soundings taken by the 
officers of our Coast Survey in the Caribbean Sea, 
where a valley was found giving a water depth of 
three thousand fathoms, twenty-five miles south of 
Cuba. The Cayman islands, in that neighborhood, 
are the summit of mountains bordering this deep val- 
ley at the bottom of the sea. It is known to extend 
over seven hundred miles, from between Cuba and 
Jamaica nearly to the head of the bay of Honduras, 
with an average breadth of eighty miles. How sug- 
gestive the subject of these submarine Alps ! Thus 
the island of Grand Cayman, scarcely twenty feet 
above sea level, is the top of a mountain twenty 
thousand five hundred and sixty-eight feet above the 
bottom of the submarine valley beside which it rises, 
— an altitude exceeding that of any mountain on the 
North American continent. A little more than five 
miles, or say twenty-seven thousand feet, is the great- 
est depth yet sounded at sea. 

With an extensive coast-line particularly well 
adapted for the purpose, smuggling is at all times 



PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF CUBA. 107 

successfully carried on in Cuba, stimulated by an 
almost prohibitory tariff. It is well understood that 
many of the most prosperous merchants in Havana 
are secretly engaged in this business. The blindness 
of minor officials is easily purchased. The eastern 
department of the island is most notorious for this 
class of illegal trade. It was through these agencies 
that the revolutionists were so well supplied with 
arms, ammunition, and other necessities during the 
eight years of civil war. While we are writing these 
lines, the cable brings us news of a fresh landing of 
u filibusters " on the shores in this immediate neigh- 
borhood. 

Cuba is the most westerly of the West Indian isles, 
and compared with the others has nearly twice as 
much superficial extent of territory, being about as 
large as England proper, without the principality of 
Wales. Its greatest length from east to west is very 
nearly eight hundred miles ; its narrowest part is over 
twenty miles, and its average width about forty miles. 
The circumference of the island is set down at two 
thousand miles, and it is supposed to contain thirty- 
five thousand square miles. The face of the interior 
is undulating, with an average level of three hun- 
dred feet above the surface of the sea. The narrow 
form of the island, and the chain of mountains which 
divides it throughout its whole length, leave a lim- 
ited course for its rivers, and consequently most of 
these in the rainy season become torrents, and during 
the rest of the year are nearly dried up. Those 
streams which sustain themselves at all seasons are 
well stocked with fine fish, and afford to lovers of the 
piscatory art admirable sport. Near their mouths 
some of the rivers, like those of the opposite coast of -. 

Florida, are frequented by crocodiles. { 



($&%*** v 



108 DUE SOUTH. 

The chain of mountains running through the centre 
of the island, more or less broken in its course, is 
lofty in the east, but gradually diminishes in elevation 
towards the west, until it becomes a series of gently 
undulating hills of one or two hundred feet above 
sea level, ceasing as a connected range in the vicinity 
of Matanzas. On the easterly end this range of moun- 
tains approaches the south coast between Puerto 
Principe and Trinidad. The country lying between 
Cape Cruz, Cape Maysi, and the town of Holguin has 
the highest elevations; the most lofty point, Tur- 
quino, lately measured, has a height of ten thousand 
eight hundred feet. Illustrative of the great revolu- 
tions which the globe has undergone in its several geo- 
logical epochs, petrified shells and bivalves are found 
on the summits of these highest peaks, surrounded 
by coral rocks, both of which differ entirely from 
those at present existing on the shores of the Antilles. 
An immense bowlder was pointed out to us on the 
summit of La Gran Piedra, at an elevation of five 
thousand feet, of totally different composition from any 
other rocks on the island. The great mystery is how 
such a mass of solid stone could have got there. Most 
of these mountains are thickly wooded, some of them 
to their very tops, and appear to be in a perpetual 
state of verdure. There are mahogany trees in these 
hills reported to be of almost fabulous dimensions, 
besides other trees of great age. Some idea of the 
excellence of the timber grown in Cuba may be had 
from the fact that over one hundred Spanish ships of 
war — some of which were of the largest size, mount- 
ing a hundred and twenty guns — have been built 
from native stock at the port of Havana. 

Copper ore is found in abundance, as well as silver 



SUBTERRANEAN CAVERNS. 109 

and iron, in the mountains. Snow is never known to 
fall even in these elevated districts, and of course in 
no other part of the island. In the interior, the ex- 
treme heat of the low-lying sea-coast and cities is not 
experienced, and the yellow fever is unknown. Low, 
level swampy land is found only on the southern 
coast, where there are some wild deer, wild cats and 
dogs, which are hunted; the former introduced into 
Cuba half a century since, the two latter descended 
from domestic animals. Large tracts of undulating 
country are without trees, affording good pasturage. 
In some of the mountains are extensive caves, not 
unlike the caves of Bellamar near the city of Matan- 
zas, in which are still to be found the bones of an 
unknown race, while several of these elevations are 
so precipitous as to be nearly inaccessible. 

Travelers who have visited the Bay of Biscay, on 
the French and Spanish shore near Biarritz, have ob- 
served how the rocks have been worn into caverns, 
arches, alcoves, and honeycombed formations by the 
action of the waters for centuries. Just so the soft 
limestone strata beneath the surface of Cuba, in many 
portions of the island, have been hollowed out, tun- 
neled, and formed into caves, by the tremendous down- 
pour and wash of tropical rains. So the action of the 
sea has created a cave under Moro Castle, at the mouth 
of the harbor of Havana, as well as under that other 
Moro which stands guard over the entrance of Santi- 
ago de Cuba. The existence of these subterranean 
caverns has often led to serious accidents. In some 
instances buildings which were by chance erected 
just over them have suddenly been swallowed up as 
though by an earthquake. 

Many of the rivers are navigable for short distances. 



110 DUE SOUTH. 

The longest is the Canto, in the eastern department, 
which, rising in the Sierra del Cobre, passes between 
Holguin and Jiguani, and empties on the sonth coast 
a little north of Manzanillo. It is navigable for half 
its length, between fifty and sixty leagues. The river 
Ay has falls in its course two hundred feet high, and 
a natural bridge spanning it, nearly as remarkable as 
that of Virginia. The Sagua le Grande is navigable 
for five leagues, and the same may be said of the river 
Sasa. The Agabama, emptying on the south coast 
near Trinidad, is also partially navigable. There 
are two hundred and sixty rivers in all, independent 
of rivulets and torrents. So abundantly is the island 
supplied with fresh-water springs, especially on the 
south side, that the pure liquid filters through the 
fissures of the stratified rock in such quantities as to 
form, by hydrostatic pressure, springs in the sea it- 
self some distance from the shore. The sulphurous 
and thermal springs of San Diego are the resort of 
numerous invalids annually, who come hither from 
Europe and America. 

The coast and harbors of Cuba are carefully marked 
for the purpose of navigation by eighteen well-placed 
lighthouses, visible from fifteen to twenty miles at 
sea, according to the importance of the surround- 
ing points. That which stands in Moro Castle, on 
the south side of the harbor's entrance at Havana, 
is eighty feet in height and about a hundred and 
fifty from the level of the sea. It is visible in 
clear weather twenty miles from shore. In honor of 
a former Governor-General this lighthouse bears the 
inscription " O'Donnell, 1844," in mammoth letters. 
So plain and safe is the entrance to this harbor, which 
in the narrowest part is some hundred yards wide, 



FINE HARBORS. Ill 

that a pilot is hardly necessary, though foreign ves- 
sels generally take one. There is little or no tide on 
this part of the coast, the variations never exceeding 
two feet. No regular ebb and flow is therefore ob- 
servable, but when the land breeze rises there is a 
very slight tide-way setting out of the harbor. No 
country in the world of the size of this island has so 
many large and fine harbors. They number twenty- 
nine on its northern side and twenty-eight on the 
southern. The well-defined water-line along the 
yellow, rusty rocks of the coast shows the mark of 
ages, and also that there has been no upheaval since 
the land took its present shape. Where there are no 
regular harbors the shore is indented with numerous 
deep channels forming inlets, safe only for native 
boatmen, as the winding course of the blue waters 
covers myriads of sunken rocks. On the southern 
side, opposite the Isle of Pines, there are some beauti- 
ful reaches of beach, over which the gentle surf rolls 
continuously with a murmur so soft as to seem like 
the whispered secrets of the sea. Yet what frightful 
historic memories brood over these deep waters of the 
Archipelago, where for nearly two centuries floated 
and fought the ships of sea-robbers of every nation- 
ality, and where the cunning but guilty slave-clippers, 
fresh from the coast of Africa, loaded with kidnapped 
men and women, made their harbor ! With all their 
dreamy beauty, the tropics are full of sadness, both 
in their past and present history. 

The occasional hurricanes, which prove so disastrous 
to the Bahamas and other isles in the immediate 
vicinity of Cuba, rarely extend their influence to its 
shores, but the bursts of fury which these usually 
tranquil seas sometimes indulge in are not excelled in 
violence in the worst typhoon regions. 



Q 



112 DUE SOUTH. 

The nearest port of the island to this continent is 
Matanzas, lying due south from Cape Sable, Florida, 
a distance of a hundred and thirty miles. Havana 
is located some sixty miles west of Matanzas, and it is 
here that the island divides the entrance to the Gulf 
of Mexico, whose coast-line, measuring six thousand 
miles, finds the outlet of its commerce along the shore 
of Cuba, almost within range of the guns in Moro 
Castle. Lying thus at our very door as it were, this 
island stands like a sentinel, guarding the approaches 
of the Gulf of Mexico, whose waters wash the shores 
of five of the United States, and by virtue of the same 
position barring the entrance of the great river which 
drains half the continent of North America. Nor 
does the importance of the situation end here. Cuba 
keeps watch and ward over our communication with 
California by way of the isthmus. The peculiar for- 
mation of the southeastern shore of this continent, and 
the prevalence of the trade-winds, with the oceanic 
current from, east to west, make the ocean passage 
skirting the shore of Cuba the natural outlet for the 
commerce also of Venezuela, New Granada, Costa 
Eica, and Nicaragua. It is not surprising, therefore, 
when we realize the commanding position of the isl- 
and, that so much of interest attaches to its ultimate 
destiny. 

Cuba seems formed to become the very button on 
Fortune's cap. No wonder that the AbbeJJaynaJ 
pronounced it to be the boulevard of the New World, 
or that the Spanish historian called it the fairest 
emerald in the crown of Ferdinand and Isabella. 
Under any other government in Christendom than that 
of Spain, the island would to-day have been one vast 
smiling garden, for its natural advantages are abso- 



CLIMATE. 113 

lutely unequaled. To oppress and rob its inhabitants 
has been the unvarying policy of the home govern- 
ment from first to last. The undisguised system has 
been to extort from them every farthing possible in 
the way of taxes. No legitimate business could sus- 
tain itself against the enormous exactions of the Span- 
ish rule. Coffee and cotton planting have been abso- 
lutely driven out of the island by the taxes imposed 
upon their production. In short, the mother country 
has carried her system of oppression and despotism in 
Cuba to the utmost stretch of human audacity. 

Probably no place has a finer or more desirable 
climate than has the main portion of Cuba, with the 
clear atmosphere of the low latitudes, no mist, the 
sun seldom obscured, and a season of endless summer. 
We do not wonder that the Northern invalid turns in- 
stinctively towards so inviting a clime, where Nature 
in all her moods is so regal. The appearance of the 
sky at night is far brighter and more beautiful than 
at the North. The atmosphere does not seem to 
lose its transparency with the departure of the day. 
Sunset is remarkable for its soft mellow beauty, all 
too brief to a New England eye accustomed to the 
lingering brilliancy of our twilights. For more than 
half a century the island has been the resort of inva- 
lids from colder climes in search of health, especially 
those laboring under pulmonary affections. Such 
have rarely failed to realize more or less benefit from 
the mild and equable temperature. The climate so 
uniformly soft and soothing, the vegetation so thriv- 
ing and beautiful, the fruits so delicious and abun- 
dant, give it a character akin to fairyland. Here 
Nature seems ever in a tender, loving mood, the very 
opposite of her cold temperament at the North. 



114 DUE SOUTH. 

The best time to visit the island, for those who 
do so in search of health, is from the beginning of 
January to the middle of May. It is imprudent to 
remain in the cities of Cuba later than the latter pe- 
riod, as the fever season then commences. The in- 
valid will find that very many physical comforts, and 
some things deemed imperative at home, must be 
sacrificed here as quite unattainable : such, for in- 
stance, as good beds, strict cleanliness, good milk, and 
sweet butter. The climatic advantages must suffice 
for such deprivations. During the greater portion of 
the year it is dry and hot, the rainy season com- 
mencing in June and ending in September. The 
northeast trade-winds blow over the island from 
March to October, and though it is especially impor- 
tant to avoid all draughts in the tropics, still one can 
always find a sufficiently cool and comfortable tem- 
perature somewhere, when the trade- wind prevails. 
To persons in the early stages of consumption this 
region holds forth great promise of relief ; the author 
can bear witness of remarkable benefit having been 
realized in many instances. At the period of the 
year when New England invalids most require to 
avoid the rigors of the prevailing east winds, namely, 
in February, March, April, and early May, the island 
of Cuba is in the glory of high summer, and enjoying 
the healthiest period of its annual returns. When 
consumption originates in the island, — as was also 
found to be the case at Nassau, — it runs its course 
to a fatal end with such rapidity that the natives 
consider it to be a contagious disease. Early in May 
the unacclimated would do well to leave, taking pas- 
sage up the Gulf to New Orleans, or across the Gulf 
Stream, which here runs thirty -two miles in width, 



CLIMATE. j 115 

to Key West, Florida, thence by boat to Tampa Bay, 
and by railroad to Sanford, and by the St. John's 
River to St. Augustine, enjoying a brief stay at the 
latter places, where every requisite convenience can 
be enjoyed. Jacksonville should not be missed, and 
by coming north thus slowly and pleasantly, the 
change of climate is not realized, and June weather 
will greet the returning traveler with genial warmth. 
Owing to the proximity of the northwestern part 
of Cuba to our own continent, the climate is somewhat 
variable, and at a height of five hundred feet above 
the level of the sea, ice is sometimes, though rarely 
formed ; but, as has already been said in these notes, 
snow never falls upon the island. At long intervals 
Cuba has been visited by brief hailstorms, and per- 
sons who tell you this will add, " but we never have 
known it in our day." In the cities and near the 
swamps, the yellow fever, that scourge of all hot 
climates, prevails from the middle of June to the last 
of October ; but in the interior of the island, where 
the visitor is at a wholesome distance from humidity 
and stagnant water, it is no more unhealthy than our 
own cities in summer. It is doubtful if Havana, even 
in the fever season, is any more unhealthy than New 
Orleans at the same period of the year. Fevers of 
different degrees of malignity prevail from May to 
November, and occasionally throughout the year. 
Among these the yellow fever is the most dangerous, 
and sooner -or later all resident foreigners seem to 
suffer from it, as a sort of acclimation ; once experi- 
enced, however, one is seldom attacked a second time. 
In the ports yellow fever is often induced by careless- 
ness and exposure ; excesses on the part of foreign 
sailors are frequently the cause of its fatal attack 



116 DUE SOUTH. 

upon them. The thermometer is never known to 
rise so high in Havana or Santiago, the opposite ex- 
tremes of the island, as it does sometimes in New 
York and Boston. The average temperature is re- 
corded as being 77°, maximum 89°, minimum 50° 
Fahrenheit. We have been thus elaborate as regards 
this matter because it is of such general interest to all 
invalids who annually seek an equable clime. 

The principal cities are Havana, with a population 
of nearly three hundred thousand; Matanzas, with 
fifty thousand ; Puerto Principe, thirty thousand ; 
Cienfuegos, twenty-five thousand ; Trinidad, fourteen 
thousand ; San Salvador, ten thousand ; Manzanillo, 
Cardenas, Nuevitas, Sagua la Grande, and Mariel. 
Among its largest and finest harbors those of Havana, 
Santiago de Cuba, Nipe, and Nuevitas are the best; 
the bay of Matanzas is also large, but shallow. This 
city stands next to Havana in population, but not 
in commercial importance. It is said to be healthier 
than the capital, but it lacks those attractions of life 
and gayety which are essential even to invalids to 
render them contented. The streets are wide, and 
many of the Moorish characteristics of Spanish cities, 
so common in both this island and the European pen- 
insula, are wanting here. It was built much later 
and more under foreign direction than Havana. The 
secret of the superior health of Matanzas over that 
of the capital is undoubtedly because of its better 
drainage and general cleanliness. 

Located in one of the most fertile portions of the 
island, the city extends up the picturesque and ver- 
dant hills by which the bay is surrounded, in the form 
of an amphitheatre. The fortifications are of rather 
a meagre character, and could not withstand a well- 



M AT AN Z AS. 117 

organized attack for half an hour. Modern improve- 
ments in the construction of heavy guns and projectiles 
have rendered all the forts in Cuba of no importance 
as a means of defense against a first-class invading 
fleet. The custom house is the most prominent build- 
ing which strikes the eye on approaching the city 
by water ; though built of stone, it is only one story 
in height, and was erected at the commencement of 
the present century. On the heights above the city 
the inhabitants have planted their country seats, 
from whence the view of the widespreading bay forms 
a delightful picture. The climate is thought to be 
especially adapted for the cure of throat and lung 
diseases, and the city is annually resorted to by those 
seeking relief from these troubles, as also by those 
afflicted with neuralgia and rheumatism. The first 
land made by southern-bound steamers from Boston 
and New York is the Monte del Pan, or Bread Moun- 
tain, forming a lofty background for the city. There 
are three large churches in Matanzas, a well appointed 
and spacious theatre, a bull-ring, and cock-pits. Sta- 
tistics show that the custom-house receipts of the port 
reach about two million dollars annually. There are 
two railroads connecting the city with Havana, one 
of which runs also to the interior southeasterly to 
Cienfuegos, Sagua, and Villa Clara, intersecting a 
rich sugar-producing country, from whence it brings 
a large amount of freight to the coast for shipment. 
On these Cuban roads one rides in American-built 
cars, drawn by American engines, and often run by 
American engineers. Railroads were in use in Cuba 
before they were adopted in any other Spanish-speak- 
ing country, and there are now nearly a thousand 
miles in active operation on the island. 



118 DUE SOUTH. 

Matanzas is bounded on the north by the river 
Yumuri, and on the south by that of San Juan. The 
town is built upon the site of a former Indian village, 
known to the early discoverers by the name of Yucayo. 
It is upon the whole a well-built city, containing some 
small public squares and a pretty Plaza de Armas, 
like that of Havana, ornamented with choice trees 
and flowers, with a statue of Ferdinand VII. in its 
centre. It was in this square that Gabriel Concepcion 
de la Valdez, a mulatto poet and patriot of Cuba, was 
shot by the soldiers of the line. He was accused of 
complicity with the slave insurrection of 1844, when 
the blacks attempted to gain their freedom. At the 
time of his execution the first volley fired by the 
troops failed to touch a vital spot, and the brave vic- 
tim, bleeding from many wounds, still stood erect, fac- 
ing his executioners. He then pointed to his heart, 
and said in a calm clear voice, " Aim here ! " The 
order was at once obeyed, and the second volley sent 
the heroic man to that haven where there is no dis- 
tinction as to color. This martyr, of whom compara- 
tively little is known to the public, possessed all the 
true elements of a poet. Many of his productions 
have been preserved in print, and some were trans- 
lated and republished in England a few years since. 

The Plaza of Matanzas is small, smaller even than 
that of Cienfuegos, but it presents within its circum- 
scribed space a great variety of tropical trees and 
flowers, over which stand, sentinel-like, a few royal 
palms with their ashen-gray stems and concentric 
rings. The star of Bethlehem, fifteen feet high, 
was here seen full of lovely scarlet blossoms ; the 
southern jasmine, yellow as gold, was in its glory ; 
mignonette, grown to a graceful tree of twenty feet 



THE PLAZA. 119 

in height, was fragrant and full of blossoms, close 
beside the delicate vinca, decked in white and red. 
Some broad-leaved bananas were thriving in the 
Plaza, while creeping all over that tree and shrub 
combined, the Spanish bayonet, were pink, purple, 
and white morning-glories, at once so familiar and 
suggestive. Opposite the Plaza are several gov- 
ernment offices, and two or three very large, fine 
club-houses, remarkable for the excellence of their 
appointments and the spaciousness of the public 
rooms. Club life prevails in Matanzas, as usual at 
the expense of domestic life, just as it does in Ha- 
vana, being very much like London in this respect. 
It is forbidden to discuss politics in these clubs, 
the hours being occupied mostly over games of 
chance, such as cards, dominoes, chess, and checkers. 
Gambling is as natural and national in Cuba as in 
China. Many Chinese are seen about the streets 
and stores of Matanzas, as, indeed, all over the island 
— poor fellows who have survived their apprenticeship 
and are now free. They are peaceful, do not drink 
spirits, work from morning until night, never meddle 
with politics, and live on one half they can earn, so as 
to save enough to return to their beloved native land. 
You may persuade him to assent to any form of 
religion as a temporary duty, but John is a heathen 
at heart, and a heathen he will die. 

The famous afternoon drive of Matanzas was for- 
merly the San Carlos Paseo. It has fine possibilities, 
and is lined and beautifully ornamented with thrifty 
Indian laurels. It overlooks the spacious harbor and 
outer bay, but is now utterly neglected and aban- 
doned; even the roadway is green with vegetation 
and gullied with deep hollows. It is the coolest place 



120 DUE SOUTH. 

in the city at the evening hour, but the people have 
become so poor that there are hardly a dozen private 
vehicles owned in the city, and, consequently, its 
famous drive is deserted. Matanzas, like all the 
cities of Cuba, is under the shadow of depressed 
business, the evidences of which meet one on all 
hands. 

The two objects of special interest to strangers 
who visit Matanzas are, first, the valley of the 
Yumuri, which may be described briefly as a narrow 
gorge four miles long, through which flows the river 
of the same name. The view of this lovely valley 
will recall, to any one who has visited Spain, the Vega 
of Granada. There are several positions from which 
to obtain a good view of the valley, but that enjoyed 
from the Chapel of Monserrate, on the hill just back 
of the town, is nearest, and was most satisfactory to 
us. The view includes a valley, peaceful, tropical, 
and verdant, embracing plantations, groves, and 
farms, in the midst of which the river glides like a 
silver thread through the verdure, and empties into 
the Bay of Matanzas. The universal belief is that 
this vale was once a vast, deep lake, walled across 
the present seaward opening of the valley, from 
whence a fall may have existed as a natural overflow. 
Some fearful convulsion of nature rent this bowl and 
precipitated the lake into the ocean, leaving only the 
river's course. 

The second object of note which the visitor will 
not willingly miss is a sight of the famous caves of 
Bellamar, situated about two leagues from the citjL 
proper. It is customary to make this trip in a 
volante, and it is quite the thing to ride, at least once, 
in this unique vehicle, the only article ever invented 



CAVES OF BELL AM AR. 121 

in Cuba. The road to the caves is extremely rough, 
and this vehicle is best adapted to pass over the 
irregularities. If there are only gentlemen of the 
party, go on horseback. On entering the caves the 
visitor should throw off any extra clothing that can 
conveniently be left behind, as it is very warm within, 
and on coming out, unless one has an extra garment 
to put on, too great a change of temperature will be 
realized. These singular caves lead three hundred 
feet and more beneath the surface, and present beau- 
ties to the eye incident to all such subterranean 
formations. They were discovered accidentally, a 
few years since, by some stone quarriers, who, on open- 
ing into them, imagined they had broken the crust 
of the earth. In driving to the caves the Bay Street 
road, through the city, should be taken, which forms 
one of the finest thoroughfares of any Cuban town. 
The architecture of the dwellings is that of combined 
Italian, Grecian, and Moorish, ornamented with colon- 
nades and verandas of stone and iron. Fine as the 
fagades of these houses are, — none above one story 
in height, — they present a faded and forlorn aspect, 
a sort of dead-and-alive appearance, yet in accordance 
with life and business, not only in Matanzas, but all 
over the island. This one boulevard of Matanzas 
ends by the shore of the bay, where the fine marine 
view will cause you to forget all other impressions 
for the moment, but you will not tarry here. Turn- 
ing eastward you soon strike the road to the caves, 
and such a road — it is like the bed of a dry moun- 
tain torrent. 

Persons visiting Matanzas must make up their 
minds to be content with indifferent hotel accommo- 
dations. In fact there are no really good hotels in 



122 DUE SOUTH. 

Cuba; those which exist are poor and expensive. 
On the inland routes away from the cities there are 
none, and the humble hostelries, or posadas, as they 
are called, are so indifferent in point of comforts as 
not to deserve the name of inns. As a rule, invalids 
rarely go beyond the cities to remain over night. 
Brief and pleasant sojourns may be made at Havana, 
Cienfuegos, Matanzas, and Sagua la Grande, from 
whence excursions can be made by rail or otherwise 
and return on the same day. Let us qualify these 
remarks, as applied to the Hotel Louvre at Matanzas. 
There was a degree of picturesqueness about this 
establishment which was not without its attraction, 
and it was certainly the most cleanly public house 
in which we found a temporary home while on the 
island. Its rooms surrounded a bright clean court, 
or patio, planted with creeping vines, palmettos, 
bananas, and some fragrant flowering shrubs. The 
dining-room is virtually out of doors, being open on 
all sides, and opposite the hotel is a small plaza with 
tropical trees, backed by an old, musty church, 
whose bell had the true Spanish trick of giving 
tongue at most inopportune moments. The rooms 
of the Louvre are quite circumscribed as to space, 
and the partitions separating the apartments do not 
reach to the ceiling, so that privacy, night or day, is 
out of the question. The floors are all tiled in white 
marble, and the attendance is courteous. One does 
not look for a choice bill of fare in Cuba, and there- 
fore will not be disappointed on that score. You will 
be charged Fifth Avenue prices, however, if you do 
not get Fifth Avenue accommodations. If you have 
learned in your travels to observe closely, to study 
men as well as localities, to enjoy Nature in her ever- 



PUERTO PRINCIPE — CARDENAS. 123 

varying moods, and to delight in luxurious fruits, 
flowers, and vegetation, you will find quite enough to 
occupy and amuse the mind, and make you forget 
altogether the grosser senses of appetite. 

Puerto Principe is the capital of the central de- 
partment of Cuba, and is located well inland. The 
trade of the place, from the want of water carriage, 
is inconsiderable, and bears no proportion to the 
number of its inhabitants, which aggregates nearly 
thirty-one thousand. The product of the neighbor- 
hood, to find means of export, must first make its 
way twelve and a half leagues to Nuevitas, from 
whence, in return, it receives its foreign supplies. 
The two places are now, however, connected by a 
railroad. Puerto Principe is about one hundred and 
fifty leagues from Havana. Its original location, as 
founded by Velasquez in 1514, was at Nuevitas, but 
the inhabitants, when the place was feeble in num- 
bers, were forced to remove from the coast to avoid 
the fierce incursions of the pirates, as did the people 
of Trinidad, who removed from the harbor of Casilda. 

Cardenas is situated a hundred and twenty miles 
from Havana on the north coast, and is the youngest 
town of note in Cuba, having been founded so late as 
1827. It has a population of between four and five 
thousand. Its prosperity is mostly owing to the 
great fertility of the land by which it is surrounded. 
It is called the American city, because of the large 
number of Americans doing business here, and also 
because the English language is so universally spoken 
by the people who reside in the place. The Plaza 
contains an excellent marble statue of Columbus, and 
is tastefully ornamented with tropical verdure. In 
the harbor of Cardenas is seen one of those curious 



124 DUE SOUTH. 

springs of fresh water which bubble up beneath the 
salt sea. The city is the centre of a sugar-producing 
district, and a considerable portion of the sugar crop 
of the vicinity of Havana is also shipped from this 
port to America. It is connected with both the 
metropolis and Matanzas by rail, and is well worthy 
of a visit by all who can find the necessary time for 
doing so. 

Between Havana and Nuevitas, along the northern 
slope of the island, are many vast tracts of unim- 
proved land of the best quality. Much of it is over- 
grown with cedar, ebony, mahogany, and other 
valuable timber ; but a large proportion is savanna 
or prairie, which might, with little difficulty, be re- 
duced to cultivation. The timber alone, which is 
often found in large compact bodies, would pay the 
cost of the land and the expense of clearing it. Many 
branches of agriculture are neglected which might be 
made very remunerative, but it will never be brought 
about except by foreign capital and tact. The na- 
tives have not the requisite enterprise and industry. 
While these chapters are passing through the press, 
the home government is discussing in the Cortes the 
propriety of making a large loan to the Cubans for 
the purpose of bringing the lands above referred to 
into market, as well as rendering others accessible. 
But it is doubtful if anything practical is accom- 
plished, unless foreign interest should be enlisted. 



CHAPTER VII. 

City of Havana. — First Impressions. — The Harbor. — Institutions. 
— Lack of Educational Facilities. — Cuban Women. — Street 
Etiquette. — Architecture. — Domestic Arrangements. — Barred 
Windows and Bullet-Proof Doors. — Public Vehicles. — Uncleanli- 
ness of the Streets. — ■ Spanish or African ! — The Church Bells. — 
Home-Keeping Habits of Ladies. — Their Patriotism. — Personal 
Characteristics. — Low Ebb of Social Life. — Priestcraft. — Fe- 
male Virtue. — Domestic Ties. — A Festive Population. — Cos- 
metics. — Sea-Bathing. 

Havaka is a thoroughly representative city, — 
Cuban and nothing else. Its history embraces in no 
small degree that of all the island, being the centre 
of its talent, wealth, and population. It has long 
been reckoned the eighth commercial capital of the 
world. Moro Castle, with its Dahlgren guns peeping 
out through the yellow stones, and its tall sentinel 
lighthouse, stands guard over the narrow entrance of 
the harbor ; the battery of La Punta on the opposite 
shore answering to the Moro. There are also the 
long range of cannon and barracks on the city side, 
and the massive fortress of the Cabanas crowning the 
hill behind the Moro. All these are decorated with 
the red and yellow flag of Spain, — the banner of 
blood and gold. So many and strong fortifications 
show how important the home government regard 
the place. 

The harbor or bay is shaped like one's outspread 
hand, with the wrist for an entrance, and is populous 
with the ships of all nations. It presents at all times 



126 DUE SOUTH. 

a scene of great maritime activity. Besides the na- 
tional ships of other countries and those of Spain, 
mail steamers from Europe and America are coming 
and going daily, also coasting steamers from the 
eastern and southern shores of the island, added to 
regular lines for Mexico and the islands of the Carib- 
bean Sea. The large ferry steamers plying constantly 
between the city and the Regla shore, the fleet of 
little sailing boats, foreign yachts, and rowboats, 
glancing in the burning sunlight, create a scene of 
great maritime interest. 

The city presents a large extent of public buildings, 
cathedrals, antique and venerable churches. It has 
been declared in its prosperity to be the richest place 
for its number of square miles in the world, but this 
cannot be said of it at the present time. There is 
nothing grand in its appearance as one enters the har- 
bor and comes to anchor, though Baron Humboldt 
pronounced it the gayest and most picturesque sight 
in America. Its multitude of churches, domes, and 
steeples are not architecturally remarkable, and are 
dominated by the colossal prison near the shore. This 
immense quadrangular edifice flanks the Punta, and is 
designed to contain five thousand prisoners at a time. 
The low hills which make up the distant background 
are not sufficiently high to add much to the general ef- 
fect. The few palm trees which catch the eye here and 
there give an Oriental aspect to the scene, quite in 
harmony with the atmospheric tone of intense sun- 
shine. Unlike Santiago or Matanzas, neither the city 
nor its immediate environs is elevated, so that the 
whole impression is that of flatness, requiring some 
strength of background to form a complete picture. 
The martial appearance of the Moro and the Cabanas, 



THE HARBOR — EDUCATION. 127 

bristling with cannon, is the most vivid effect of the 
scene, taken as a whole. It might be a portion of 
continental Spain broken away from European moor- 
ings, and floated hither to find anchorage in the Ca- 
ribbean Sea. One is also reminded of Malta, in the 
farther Mediterranean, and yet the city of Valetta, 
bright, sunny, and elevated, is quite unlike Havana, 
though Fortress St. Angelo overlooks and guards the 
place as the Moro does this tropical harbor, and Cuba 
is the Italy of America. 

The waters of the harbor, admittedly one of the 
finest in the world, are most of the time extremely 
dirty. Many years ago a canal was commenced which 
was designed to create a flowage calculated to keep 
the harbor clear of the constantly accumulating filth, 
but it was never finished, and there remains an evi- 
dence of Spanish inefficiency, while the harbor con- 
tinues to be a vast cesspool. It would be supposed 
that in a fever-haunted region, great attention would 
be bestowed upon the matter of drainage, but this is 
not the case in Havana, or other cities of the island. 
Most of the effort made in this direction is surface 
drainage, the liquid thus exposed quickly evaporating 
in the hot sunshine, or being partially absorbed by 
the soil over which it passes. 

Havana contains numerous institutions of learning : 
a Royal University, founded in 1733, a medical and 
law school, and chairs of all the natural sciences. 
In spite of their liberal purposes and capabilities, how- 
ever, there is a blight hanging over them. Pupils en- 
list cautiously and reluctantly. Among other schools 
there is a Royal Seminary for girls, scarcely more than 
a name, a free school of sculpture and painting, and a 
mercantile school, with a few private institutions of 



128 DUE SOUTH. 

learning. There is a fairly good museum of natural 
history, and just outside the city a botanical garden. 
Still the means of education are very limited in Cuba, 
an evidence of which is the fact that so many of her 
youth of both sexes are sent to this country for edu- 
cational purposes. An order was at one time issued 
by the government prohibiting this, but its arbitrary 
nature was so very outrageous, even for a Spanish 
government, that it was permitted to become a dead 
letter.' What are called free schools, as we use the 
term, are not known in the island ; the facilities for 
obtaining even the simplest education a^e very poor. 
Boys and girls, so far as any attempt is made to edu- 
cate them, are taught separately, and really under 
the eye of the Church. Priests and nuns are the 
agents, the former notoriously making a cloak of their 
profession for vile and selfish purposes. If we speak 
decidedly upon this subject, yet we do so with less 
emphasis than do the Cubans. The girls are taught 
embroidery and etiquette, considered to be the chief 
and about the only things necessary for them to know. 
These young girls are women at the age of thirteen 
or fourteen, and frequently mothers of families before 
they are twenty. Of course they fade early. In do- 
mestic life the husband is literally lord and master, 
the wife, ostensibly at least, is all obedience. There 
is no woman's rights association on the island, nor 
even a Dorcas society. While young and unmarried, 
the ladies are strict adherents to all the convention- 
alities of Spanish etiquette, which is of the most ex- 
acting character, but after marriage the sex is perhaps 
as French as the Parisians, and as gay as the Viennese, 
under the stimulus of fast and fashionable society. 
The reason of the edict issued by the government 



STREETS OF HAVANA. 129 

forbidding parents to send their children to this 
country for educational purposes was obvious. The 
young Cubans during their residence here imbibed 
liberal ideas as to our republican form of government, 
which they freely promulgated and advocated on their 
return to their native island. Even those who had 
been educated in France or England, and they were 
numerous, readily sympathized with the pupils re- 
turned from America, and became a dangerous ele- 
ment. Long before the first Lopez expedition, these 
sons of planters and rich merchants had formed them- 
selves into a secret society, with the avowed purpose of 
freeing Cuba sooner or later from the Spanish yoke. 

The low-lying, many-colored city of Havana, called 
San Cristobel, after the great discoverer, was originally 
surrounded by a wall, though the population has 
long since extended its dwellings and business struc- 
tures far into what was, half a century since, the 
suburbs. A portion of the old wall is still extant, 
crumbling and decayed, but it has mostly disappeared. 
The narrow streets are paved or macadamized, and 
cross each other at right angles, like those of Phila- 
delphia, but in their dimensions reminding one of 
continental Toledo, whose Moorish architecture is 
also duplicated here. There are no sidewalks, unless 
a narrow line of flagstones can be so called, and in 
fact the people have less use for them where nearly 
every one rides in a victoria, the fare being but six- 
teen cents per mile. A woman of respectability is 
scarcely ever seen walking in the streets, unless she 
is a foreigner, or of the lower class, such as sellers 
of fruit, etc. Those living in close proximity to the 
churches are sometimes seen proceeding to early mass, 
accompanied by a negress carrying a portable seat, or 



130 DUE SOUTH. 

a bit of carpet on which to kneel upon the marble 
floor of the cathedral. But even this is exceptional. 
Cuban etiquette says that a lady must not be seen 
on the streets except in a vehicle, and only Americans, 
English, and other foreigners disregard the rule. 

The architecture of the dwelling-houses is exceed- 
ingly heavy, giving them the appearance of great 
age. They are built of the porous stone so abun- 
dant upon the island, which, though soft when first 
worked into suitable blocks, becomes as hard as gran- 
ite by exposure to the atmosphere. The facades of 
the town houses are nearly always covered with 
stucco. Their combination of colors, yellow, green, 
and blue, harmonizes with the glowing atmosphere of 
the tropics. This will strike the stranger at first as 
being very odd; there is no system observed, the 
tenant of each dwelling following his individual fancy 
as to the hue he will adopt, a dingy yellow prevailing. 
Standing upon the Campo de Marte and looking in 
any direction, these changing colors give a pictur- 
esque effect to the range of buildings which surround 
the broad field. In this vicinity the structures are 
nearly all of two full stories, and many with rows of 
lofty pillars supporting broad verandas, including one 
or two palaces, one fine large club-house, some gov- 
ernment offices, and the Telegrafo Hotel. These 
varying colors are not for fancy alone, they have a 
raison d'etre ; namely, to absorb the sharp rays of 
the constant sunshine. But for some toning down of 
the glare, one's eyes would hardly be able to sustain 
the power of vision. The vividness with which each 
individual building and object stands out in the clear 
liquid light is one of the first peculiarities which will 
strike the stranger. 



ARCHITECTURE. 131 

The dwelling-houses are universally so constructed 
as to form an open square in the centre, which con- 
stitutes the only yard or court that is attached. The 
house is divided into a living-room, a store-room, 
chambers, and stable, these all upon one floor, while 
the family vehicle blocks up in part the only en- 
trance, which is used in common by horses, ladies, 
slaves, and gentlemen callers. If there is a second 
story, a broad flight of steps leads to it, and there 
are the family chambers or sleeping apartments, 
opening upon a corridor which extends round the 
court. Peculiar as this manner of building at first 
seems, it is well adapted to the climate, and one soon 
becomes satisfied with it. 

With such surroundings it is easy to imagine one's 
self at Granada, in far-off Spain, and it seems almost 
natural to look about for the Alhambra. An air of 
rude grandeur reigns over these houses, the architec- 
ture being Gothic and Saracenic. In the more an- 
cient portions of the town little picturesque balconies 
of iron or wood jut out from the second-story win- 
dows, where the houses rise to the dignity of two 
stories. From these balconies hang little naked chil- 
dren, like small performers upon the trapeze, until 
the passer-by fears for their lives. The travel in the 
narrow streets is regulated by law, and so divided 
that only certain ones are used for vehicles going 
north, and others for those traveling south. Thus, 
vehicles bound into the city from the Paseo go by 
the way of Obispo Street, but must return by O'Riley 
Street, so that no two ever meet in these narrow 
thoroughfares, — a plan which might be advanta- 
geously adopted elsewhere. 

The rooms of the houses are lofty and the floors 



132 DUE SOUTH. 

stuccoed or tiled in marble, while the walls and ceil- 
ings are frequently ornamented in fresco, the excel- 
lence of the workmanship varying in accordance with 
the owner's means. The most striking peculiarity of 
the town-house in Cuba is the precaution taken to ren- 
der it safe against sudden attack. Every man's house 
is literally his castle here, each accessible window 
being secured with stout iron bars, reaching from the 
top to the bottom, while bullet-proof doors bar the 
entrance, — the whole seriously suggestive of jails 
and lunatic asylums. No carpets are used even in 
the parlors, though a long rug is sometimes placed 
between the inevitable double row of rocking-chairs. 
The best floors are laid in white marble and jasper. 
The great heat of the climate renders even wooden 
floors quite insupportable. The visitor is apt to find 
his bed rather unsatisfactory, it being formed by 
stretching a coarse canvas upon a framework, with 
an upper and under sheet. Mattresses are not used 
by the natives, who reject them as being too warm 
to sleep upon, but the liberality evinced in the shape 
of mosquito netting is as commendable as it is neces- 
sary. 

The public vehicle called a victoria is a sort of 
four-wheeled calash, and it has entirely superseded 
the volante for city use. There are thousands of 
them about the town, forming a collection of wretch- 
edly wornout carriages, drawn by horses in a like con- 
dition. The drivers occupy an elevated seat, and are 
composed equally of whites and negroes. The charge 
for a passage from point to point within the city 
is forty cents in Cuban paper money, equal to six- 
teen cents of our currency ; three times that sum is 
charged if engaged for the hour. The streets are in 



OFFICIAL PECULATION. 133 

a very bad condition and sadly need repairing. The 
roads leading out to the suburbs in every direction 
are full of deep holes, and are badly gullied by the 
heavy rains. The streets, even about the paseos, are 
so impregnated with filth, here and there, as to be 
sickening to the senses of the passer-by. Once in 
three or four weeks somebody is awakened to the 
exigency of the situation, and a gang of men is put 
to work to cleanse the principal thoroughfares, but 
this serves only a temporary purpose. We were told 
that the reason for this neglect was that no one was 
regularly paid for work ; even the police had not 
received any pay for seven months, and many refused 
to serve longer. The soldiery had not been paid 
their small stipend for nearly a year, but enlisted 
men sent out from Spain, forming the army, are more 
easily kept together and more amenable to discipline 
than any civil body of officials could be. "With 
everybody and everything so enormously taxed," we 
ventured to suggest to our informants, "there should 
be no lack of pecuniary means wherewith to carry on 
all departments of the government. Pray what be- 
comes of all this money ? " The reply was, " Who 
can say? " with a significant shrug of the shoulders. 
With all the exactions of the officials, and with the 
collection of nearly thirty millions of dollars annu- 
ally, but a moiety finds its way into the national 
treasury. Peculation is reduced to a science, and is 
practiced from the highest to the lowest official sent 
out by the home government. " Spain has squeezed 
the orange nearly dry," said a distinguished Cuban 
to us in Matanzas, " and a collapse is inevitable. 
We are anxiously waiting to see it come ; any change 
would be for the better. We were long threatened 



134 DUE SOUTH. 

with a war of races, if we did not sustain Spanish 
rule in the island. That is, if we were not loyal to 
the Madrid authorities, the slaves should be freed to 
prey upon us. Blood would flow like water. The 
incendiary torch would be placed in the hands of the 
negroes, and they should be incited to burn, steal, 
and ravish! Cuba should be Spanish or African. 
There was a time when this threat had great force, 
and its execution was indeed to be dreaded ; but that 
time is past, and no such fear now exists. The slaves 
are being gradually freed, and are amalgamating 
with the rest of the populace. The slow liberation 
of the blacks has accustomed them to freedom, and 
any organized outrage from that source has ceased 
to be feared." 

Why all the bells in Havana should be rung furi- 
ously and continuously every morning about day- 
light, one cannot exactly understand. There does 
not seem to be any concert of action in this awful con- 
spiracy against sleep ; but the tumult thus brought 
about would certainly seem to be sufficient to " wake 
the isle from its propriety." From every square with 
its church, and every church with its towers, this 
brazen-tongued clamor is relentlessly poured forth. 
In most Christian lands one good bell is all-sufficient 
for a church steeple, but here they have them in the 
plural, and all striving to excel each other at the 
same moment. Of course no one is able to sleep 
amid such an outburst of noise, or within the radius 
of a league. Bells and mosquitoes are two of the 
prevailing nuisances of this thrice-sunny city. Nor 
must we forget to add to these aggravations the 
ceaseless, triumphant crowing of the game-cocks, the 
noisiest and most boastful of birds, large numbers of 



HOME-KEEPING LADIES. 135 

which are kept by the citizens purely for gambling 
purposes in the cock-pit. Besides these " profes- 
sional" birds, every nook and corner is filled with 
fowls kept for brooding purposes, each bird family 
with its crower. 

We have said that the Cuban ladies rarely stir 
abroad except in a vehicle, and whatever their domes- 
tic habits may be, they are certainly good housekeep- 
ers in this respect. While our ladies are busy sweep- 
ing the city sidewalks with their trailing dresses, 
these wisely leave that business to the gangs of 
criminals detailed from prison to fill that office, with 
their limbs chained and a heavy ball attached to pre- 
serve their equilibrium, — though we should qualify 
this remark by saying that these condemned men, 
once so common upon the streets and highways, were 
not seen during our late visit to Havana. It is, per- 
haps, owing to the home-keeping habits of the ladies 
that the feet of the Cuban senoritas are such mar- 
vels of smallness and delicacy, seemingly made rather 
for ornament than for use. You catch a glimpse of 
them as they step into their victorias, and perceive 
that they are daintily shod in French slippers, the 
soles of which are scarcely more substantial than 
brown paper. Their feet are made for ornament 
and for dancing. Though they possess a roundness 
of form that leaves nothing to be desired in symme- 
try of figure, still they are light as a sylph, — so 
buoyant, clad in muslin and lace, that it would seem 
as if a breeze might waft them away like a summer 
cloud. Passionately fond of dancing, they tax the 
endurance of the gentlemen in their worship of Terp- 
sichore, stimulated by those Cuban airs which are at 
once so sweet and so brilliant. 



136 DUE SOUTH. 

There is a striking and endearing charm about the 
Cuban ladies, their every motion being replete with 
a native grace. Every limb is elastic and supple. 
Their voices are sweet and low, while the subdued 
tone of their complexions is relieved by the arch 
vivacity of night-black eyes, that alternately swim in 
melting lustre, and sparkle in expressive glances. If 
their comeliness matures, like the fruits of their na- 
tive clime, early and rapidly, it is sad to know that 
it also fades prematurely. One looks in vain for that 
serene loveliness combined with age which so fre- 
quently challenges our admiration at the North. 
Their costume is never ostentatious, though often 
costly, and sometimes a little too mixed or varie- 
gated when seen in public. At home, however, 
nothing of this sort is observed. There the dress 
is usually composed of the most delicate muslin, the 
finest linen, and richest silks. We must admit that 
one rarely sees elsewhere such contrasts in colors 
upon the person of the fair sex as are at times 
encountered upon the Paseo. It would drive a 
French modiste wild to see the proprieties so out- 
raged. It requires all the proverbial beauty of these 
senoras and senoritas to carry off respectably such 
combinations as scarlet and yellow, blue and purple, 
orange and green ; but they do it by sheer force of 
their beautiful eyes and finely rounded figures. It 
must be acknowledged that the element of native 
refinement is too often wanting, and that the whole 
exhibition of the sex is just a little prononce*e. They 
have no intellectual resort, but lead a life of decided 
ease and pleasure much too closely bordering upon 
the sensuous, their forced idleness being in itself an 
incentive to immorality and intrigue. The indiffer- 



FEMALE PATRIOTISM. 137 

ent work they perform is light and simple ; a little 
sewing and embroidery, followed by the siesta, divides 
the hours of the day. Those who can afford to keep 
their victorias wait until nearly sunset for a drive, 
and then go to respond by sweet smiles to the saluta- 
tions of the caballeros on the paseos ; afterwards to 
the Parque de Isabella II., to listen to the military 
band, and then, perhaps, to join in the mazy dance. 
That these ladies are capable of deep feeling and 
practical sympathy on such occasions as would nat- 
urally draw these qualities forth, we know by expe- 
rience. When the patriot forces were poorly armed, 
with but scant material, and ammunition was short, 
these fair patriots gave freely of their most valuable 
jewels as a contribution to the cause of liberty. 

A sad instance illustrative of this fact was told us 
by a resident of Havana. The young ladies and 
matrons of a certain circle in the city, at the com- 
mencement of the year 1872, had put their diamonds 
and precious stones together to realize money for 
forwarding supplies to the insurgents under Cespe- 
des, who was then operating in the vicinity of Santi- 
ago. The jewels were secretly intrusted to a brother 
of one of the ladies, a young man who had just 
reached the age of twenty-two. His part of the 
business was the most difficult to perform, but he 
finally succeeded in realizing over four thousand dol- 
lars in gold for the gems intrusted to him. Fortu- 
nately the money was at once forwarded to the 
patriot leader through a safe and reliable channel. 
Hardly had the business been accomplished to the 
satisfaction of all concerned when the young Cuban 
was secretly denounced to the Governor-General as a 
suspected person. The settings and jewels had all 



138 DUE SOUTH. 

been disposed of so as to be beyond Recognition, and 
it is not known to this day how the brother's com- 
plicity with his sisters and their friends was divulged, 
but presumedly it was through the Jew pawnbrokers. 
The brother was arrested and thrown into Moro 
Castle, where he was subjected to the closest exami- 
nation to find out his accomplices. Loyal and affec- 
tionate, he could not be made to speak. He was 
finally offered his freedom and permission to leave the 
island if he would divulge all. The government rea- 
soned that if they could make a witness of him they 
would succeed in serving their own interest best, as 
by sacrificing one prisoner they might gain knowl- 
edge of many disaffected people whom they did not 
even suspect of disloyalty. One of the sisters of the 
prisoner determined to assume the guilt, and declare 
that her brother was the unknowing agent of her 
purpose ; but when at last satisfied that this would 
not free him, she reluctantly gave up the design. 
The young Cuban maintained his silence. No pub- 
licity was given to the matter. He was brought 
before a military tribunal — so much is known. The 
sentence never publicly transpired. Like most polit- 
ical prisoners who pass within the walls of Moro 
Castle, his fate remains a secret. 

There are two sides to every picture ; even light 
casts its shadow, and we feel constrained to speak 
plainly. Social life in the island is certainly at a very 
low ebb, and unblushing licentiousness prevails. That 
there are many and noble exceptions only renders 
the opposite fact the more prominent. This immo- 
rality is more particularly among the home Spaniards, 
whose purpose it is to remain here long enough to 
gain a certain amount of money, and then to return 



DOMESTIC TIES. 139 

to the mother country to enjoy it. They look upon 
all associations contracted here as of a temporary 
character, and the matter of morality does not affect 
them in the least. Domestic comforts are few, and, 
as we have intimated, literature is hardly recognized. 
The almost entire absence of books or reading matter 
of any sort is remarkable. A few daily and weekly 
newspapers, under rigid censorship, supply all the 
taste for letters. Married women seem to sink far 
below their husbands in influence. The domestic 
affections are not cultivated ; in short, home to the 
average Cuban is only a place to sleep, — not of 
peaceful enjoyment. His meals are rarely taken with 
his family, but all spare hours are absorbed at the 
club. Domestic infidelity is prevalent, and female 
virtue but little esteemed. Priest-craft and king-craft 
have been the curse of both Spain and Cuba. Here, 
as in Italy, the outrageous and thinly-disguised im- 
morality of the priesthood poisons many an other- 
wise unpolluted fount, and thus all classes are liable 
to infection. Popery and slavery are both largely to 
be charged with the low condition of morals, though 
the influence of the former has of late years been 
much curtailed, both in Spain and in Cuba. The 
young women are the slaves of local customs, as 
already intimated, and cannot go abroad even to 
church without a duenna, — a fact which in itself 
proves the debased standard of morals. The men ap- 
pear to have no religion at all, but the women very 
generally attend early mass and go periodically to 
confessional. No one seems to think it strange for 
a white man to have a colony of mulatto children, 
even though he be also the father of a white family ! 
Many have only the mulatto family, and seem con- 



140 DUE SOUTH. 

tent. These are generally the home Spaniards, al- 
ready spoken of, and when their fortunes are secured 
they recklessly sever all local ties and responsibilities 
and return to Spain. This is no new thing, as there 
are many families in Cuba of fair position socially, 
and often of considerable wealth, whose members are 
by the right of classification quadroons. Miscegena- 
tion has greatly complicated social matters, and in 
half a century, more or less, it may produce a dis- 
tinctive class, who will be better able to assert and 
sustain their rights than those who have preceded 
them. 

The class of home Spaniards who have emigrated 
to Cuba has always been of a questionable character. 
The description of them by Cervantes in his time 
will apply in our own day with equal force. He 
says : " The island is the refuge of the profligates of 
Spain, a sanctuary for homicides, a skulking-place for 
gamblers and sharpers, and a receptacle for women of 
free manners, — a place of delusion to many, of amel- 
ioration to few." 

One peculiarity which is sure to strike the stran- 
ger unpleasantly, and to which allusion has inciden- 
tally been made, whether in public or private houses, 
in the stores or in the streets, is that the colored chil- 
dren of both sexes, under eight and nine years of age, 
are permitted to go about in a state of nudity. In 
the country, among the Montero class, this custom 
also extends to the white children. The colored men 
who labor in the streets and on the wharves wear 
only a short pair of linen pantaloons, displaying a 
muscular development which any white man might 
envy. The remarkable contrast in the powerful 
frames of these dusky Africans and the puny Asiatic 



A FESTIVE POPULATION. 141 

coolies is extraordinary. On the plantations and 
small farms the slaves wear but one garment, just 
sufficient for decency. The great heat when exposed 
to the sun is the reason, probably, rather than any 
economical idea. 

The populace of Havana is eminently a festive one. 
Men luxuriate in the cafe, or spend their evenings in 
worse places. A brief period of the morning only is 
given to business, the rest of the day and night to 
melting lassitude, smoking, and luxurious ease. Evi- 
dences of satiety, languor, and dullness, the weakened 
capacity for enjoyment, are sadly conspicuous, the in- 
evitable sequence of indolence and vice. The arts 
and sciences seldom disturb the thoughts of such peo- 
ple. Here, as in many European cities, Lazarus and 
Dives elbow each other, and an Oriental confusion of 
quarters prevails. The pretentious town-house is 
side by side with the humble quarters of the artisan, 
or even the negro hut, about which swarm the naked 
juveniles of color, a half-clad, slatternly mother ap- 
pearing now and then. The father of this brood, if 
there be an acknowledged one, is probably at work 
upon some plantation not far away, while madame 
takes in linen to wash, but being possibly herself a 
slave, pays over one half of her earnings to some city 
master. High and low life are ever present in strong 
contrast, and in the best of humor with each other, 
affording elements of the picturesque, if not of the 
beautiful. Neatness must be ignored where such hu- 
man conglomeration exists, and as we all know, at 
certain seasons of the year, like dear, delightful, dirty 
Naples, Havana is the hot-bed of pestilence. The 
dryness of the atmosphere transforms most of the 
street offal into fine powder, which salutes nose, eyes, 



142 DUE SOUTH. 

ears, and mouth under the influence of the slight- 
est breeze. Though there are ample bathing facili- 
ties in and about the city, the people of either sex 
seem to have a prejudice against their free use. In 
most hot climates the natives duly appreciate the ad- 
vantage of an abundance of water, and luxuriate in 
its use, but it is not so in Cuba. We were told of 
ladies who content themselves with only wiping neck, 
face, and hands daily upon a towel saturated with isl- 
and rum, and, from what was obvious, it is easy to 
believe this to be true. 

Sea-bathing is a luxury which the Northern visitor 
will be glad to improve, if the natives are not, and 
for their information let us state that it may be safely 
enjoyed here. Establishments will be found where 
baths have been cut in the rock on the shore, west of 
the Punta fort, along the Calle Ancha del Norte. 
Here water is introduced fresh from the Gulf Stream, 
sparkling and invigorating, and characterized by 
much more salt and iodine than is found in more 
northern latitudes. It is the purest sea-bathing to 
be found in any city that we know of, refreshing and 
healthful, producing a sensation upon the surface of 
the body similar to that of sparkling soda-water on 
the palate. The island abounds in mineral springs, 
both hot and cold, all more or less similar in charac- 
ter, and belonging to the class of sulphur springs. 
Many of these have considerable local reputation for 
their curative properties. 

In passing through O'Riley, Obispo, Obrapia, or 
any business streets at about eleven o'clock in the 
forenoon and glancing into the stores, workshops, busi- 
ness offices, and the like, one is sure to see the master 
in his shirt-sleeves, surrounded by his family, clerks, 



A WELL-FURNISHED SITTING-ROOM. 143 

and all white employees, sitting in full sight at break- 
fast, generally in the business room itself. The mid- 
day siesta, an hour later, if not a necessity in this 
climate, is a universal custom. The shopkeeper, even 
as he sits on duty, drops his head upon his arm and 
sleeps for an hour, more or less. The negro and his 
master both succumb to the same influence, catching 
their forty winks, while the ladies, if not reclining, 
"lose themselves" with heads resting against the 
backs of the universal rocking-chairs. One interior 
seen by the passer-by is as like another as two peas. 
A Cuban's idea of a well-furnished sitting-room is 
fully met by a dozen cane-bottom rocking-chairs, and 
a few poor chromos on the walls. These rocking- 
chairs are ranged in two even lines, reaching from the 
window to the rear of the room, with a narrow woollen 
mat between them on the marble floor, each chair 
being conspicuously flanked by a cuspidor. This 
parlor arrangement is so nearly universal as to be 
absolutely ludicrous. 



CHAPTER VIII. 

Sabbath Scenes in Havana. — Thimble-Riggers and Mountebanks. — 
City Squares and their Ornamentation. — The Cathedral. — Tomb 
of Columbus. — Plaza de Armas. — Out-Door Concerts. — Habitues 
of Paseo de Isabella. — Superbly Appointed Cafes. — Gambling. 
— Lottery Tickets. — Fast Life. — Masquerade Balls. — Carnival 
Days. — The Famous Tacon Theatre. — The Havana Casino. — 
Public Statues. — Beauties of the Governor's Garden. — The 
Alameda. — The Old Bell-Ringer. — Military Mass. 

On no other occasion is the difference between the 
manners of a Protestant and Catholic community so 
strongly marked as on the Sabbath. In the former, 
a sober seriousness stamps the deportment of the 
people, even when they are not engaged in devotional 
exercises ; in the latter, worldly pleasures and religious 
forms are pursued, as it were, at the same time, or 
follow each other in incongruous succession. "We 
would not have the day made tedious, and it can only 
be so to triflers ; to the true Christian it will ever be 
characterized by thoughtfulness and repose. The 
Parisian flies from the church to the railway station 
to join some picnic excursion, or to assist at the race- 
course, or he passes with a careless levity from St. 
Genevieve to the dance booths of the Champs Elysees. 
In New Orleans, the Creole who has just bent his 
knee before the altar repairs to the theatre to pass 
the evening ; and the Cuban goes from the absolution 
of the priest to the hurly-burly of the bull-ring or 
the cock-pit. 

The influence of fifteen minutes in the church, if 



SABBATH SCENES. 145 

salutary, would seem to be quickly dissipated by the 
attraction of the gaming-table and the masked ball. 
Even the Sunday ceremonial of the Church is a pa- 
geant : the splendid robes of the officiating priest, 
changed in the course of the service like the costume 
of actors in a drama: the music, to Protestant ears 
operatic and exciting ; the clouds of incense scat- 
tering their intoxicating perfumes ; the chanting in 
a strange tongue, unknown to the majority of the 
worshipers, — all tend to give the Roman Catholic 
services a carnival character. Far be it from us, how- 
ever, to charge these congregations with an undue 
levity, or a lack of sincerity. Many a lovely Creole 
kneels upon the marble floor entirely estranged from 
the brilliant groups around her, and apparently un- 
conscious for the time of the admiration she excites. 
There are many, no doubt, who look beyond the glit- 
tering symbols to the great truths of the Being whom 
they are intended to typify. The impression made 
by the Sabbath ceremonials of the Church strikes us 
as evanescent, more pleasing to the fancy than in- 
forming to the understanding. Still, if the Sabbath 
in Catholic countries is not wholly devoted to religious 
observances, neither are the week days wholly ab- 
sorbed by business and by careless pleasures. The 
churches are always open, silently but eloquently in- 
viting to devotion, and it is much to be able to step 
aside at any moment from the temptations, business, 
and cares of life into an atmosphere of seclusion and 
religion. The solemn quiet of an old cathedral on a 
week day is impressive from its very contrast to the 
tumult outside. Within its venerable walls the light 
seems chastened, as it falls through stained panes and 
paints the images of Christian saints and martyrs on 
10 



146 DUE SOUTH. 

the pavement of the aisles. A half unwilling rever- 
ence is apt to stimulate us on such an occasion, 
however skeptical we may be. 

The Sabbath in Havana breaks upon the citizens 
amid the ringing of bells, the firing of cannon from the 
forts, the noise of trumpets, and the roll of the drum. 
It is no day of physical rest here, and the mechanical 
trades are uninterrupted. It is the chosen period for 
the military reviews, the masked ball, and the bull- 
fight. The stores are open as usual, the same cries 
are heard on the streets, and the lottery tickets are 
vended on every corner. The individuals who devote 
themselves to this business are in numbers like an 
army with banners. They rend the air with their 
cries, promising good luck to all purchasers, while 
they flourish their scissors with one hand, and thrust 
the sheet of printed numbers in your face with the 
other, ready to cut any desired ticket or portion of a 
ticket. The day proves equalty propitious for the om- 
nipresent organ-grinder and his ludicrously-dressed 
little monkey, a la Napoleon ; the Chinese peddler ; 
the orange and banana dealer; and the universal 
cigarette purveyer. Still, the rough Montero from the 
county, with his long line of loaded mules or ponies, 
respectfully raises his broad Panama with one hand 
while he makes the sign of the cioss with the other as 
he passes the church door. The churches of- Havana 
look very old and shabby compared with those of pe- 
ninsular Spain, where the splendor of church orna- 
mentation reaches its acme. 

In and about the commercial part of the town, the 
out-door gambler forms a conspicuous feature of the 
Sabbath, seated upon a cloth spread upon the ground, 
and armed with cards, dice, cups, and other instru- 



CITY SQUARES. 147 

ments. With voluble tongue and expressive panto- 
mime urging the passer-by to try his luck, he meets 
with varying success. Many who are drawn into the 
net are adroitly permitted to win a little, and after- 
wards to lose much. Sailors on shore for a day's 
liberty are profitable game for these thimble-riggers, 
as they are called with us. Both Spaniards and 
Creoles patronize them, and occasionally a negro tries 
his luck with a trifle. In open squares, or at the 
intersection of several streets, one sometimes sees a 
carpet spread upon the ground, upon which an athlete 
accompanied by a couple of expert boys, dressed in 
high-colored tights ornamented with spangles, diverts 
the throng by exhibiting gymnastics. At the close 
of the performance, a young girl in a fancy dress and 
with long, flowing hair passes among the spectators 
and gathers a few shillings. Not far away is observed 
Punch and Judy in the height of a successful quarrel 
to the music of a harp and a violin. The automatic 
contestants pound and pommel each other after the 
conventional fashion. 

The city abounds in well-arranged squares, often 
ornamented by the royal palm, always a figure of 
majesty and beauty, with here and there a few orange, 
lime, and banana trees, mingled with the Indian 
laurel, which forms a grateful shade by its dense 
foliage. The royal palm is strongly individualized, 
differing from other trees of the same family. It is 
usually from sixty to eighty feet in height at what 
may be called its maturity, and not unfrequently 
reaches a hundred, the tall trunk slightly swelling 
near the middle and tapering at either extremity. 
The upper portion is of a fresh and shining green, 
contrasting with the lower section, which is of a light 



148 DUE SOUTH. 

slate color. It is crowned by a tuft of branches and 
leaves at its apex, like a bunch of ostrich feathers 
drooping in all directions. It seems as though the 
palm could not be out of place in any spot. It im- 
parts great beauty to the scenery in and about Havana. 
When it is found dotting a broad stretch of country 
here and there in isolated groups, or even singly, it is 
always the first object to catch and delight the eye. 
It is also a marked and beautiful feature where it 
forms a long avenue, lining the road on either side 
leading to a sugar or coffee plantation, but it requires 
half a century to perfect such an avenue. 

The Plaza de Armas, fronting the Governor's 
palace, is a finely kept square, and until the Parque 
de Isabella was finished, it was the great centre of 
fashion, and the place of evening resort. At one 
corner of this Plaza is an insignificant chapel, built 
upon the spot where Columbus is said to have assisted 
at the first mass celebrated on the island ; an anach- 
ronism easily exposed were it worth the while. The 
great discoverer never landed at Havana during his 
lifetime, though his body was brought hither for 
burial, centuries after his death. There is one fact 
relating to this site in the Plaza de Armas fully 
authenticated, and which is not without interest. 
An enormous old ceiba tree originally stood here, 
beneath whose branches mass was sometimes per- 
formed. This remarkable tree having expired of old 
age was removed by order of the Governor-General, 
and the chapel was erected on the spot where its 
widespread branches had cast their shadow for cen- 
turies. We did not see the interior of the chapel, as 
it is opened but once a year to the public, — on the 
16th of November, which is the feast day of San Oris- 



OUT-DOOR CONCERTS. 149 

tobal, when mass is celebrated in honor of the great 
discoverer. It is said to contain a marble bust of Co- 
lumbus, and two or three large historical paintings. 

This square is divided into neatly kept paths, and 
planted with fragrant flowers, conspicuous among 
which were observed the white and red camellias, 
while a grateful air of coolness was diffused by the 
playing of a fountain into a broad basin, ornamented 
by a marble statue of Ferdinand VII. The Creoles 
are passionately fond of music, and this park used to 
be the headquarters of all out-door concerts. Their 
favorite airs are waltzes and native dances, with not 
a little of the Offenbach spirit in them. The guitar 
is the favorite domestic musical instrument here, as in 
peninsular Spain, and both sexes are as a rule clever 
performers upon it. Evening music in the open air 
is always attractive, but nowhere is its influence more 
keenly felt than under the mellow effulgence of tropi- 
cal nights. Nowhere can we conceive of a musical 
performance listened to with more relish and appre- 
ciation than in the Plaza de Armas or the Parque de 
Isabella in Havana. The latter place on the occasion 
of the concerts is the resort of all classes. Here 
friends meet, flirtations are carried on, toilets are dis- 
played, and lovers woo. Even the humble classes are 
seen in large numbers quietly strolling on the outer 
portions of the Plaza listening to the fine perform- 
ances of the band, and quietly enjoying the music, 
" tamed and led by this enchantress still." The 
balmy nature of the climate permits the ladies to dis- 
pense with shawls or wraps of any sort ; bonnets 
they very seldom wear, so that they sit in their vehi- 
cles, or alighting appropriate the chairs arranged for 
the purpose lining the broad central path, and thus 



150 DUE SOUTH. 

appear in full evening dress, bare arms, and necks 
supplemented by most elaborate coiffures. Even the 
black lace mantilla, so commonly thrown over the 
head and shoulders in the cities of Spain, is discarded 
of an evening on the Plaza de Isabella. 

It was very amusing to sit here near the marble 
statue of the ex-queen (which is, by the way, a won- 
derful likeness of Queen Victoria), where the band, 
composed of sixty instrumental performers, discoursed 
admirable music, and to observe young Cuba abroad, 
represented by boys and girls of ten and twelve years 
dressed like young ladies and gentlemen, sauntering 
arm in arm through the broad paths. These children 
attend balls given by grown-up people, and are 
painted and bedizened and decked out like their 
elders, — a singular fashion in Cuban cities. It is 
true they not infrequently fall asleep on such occa- 
sions in rocking-chairs and in odd corners, overcome 
by fatigue, as the hours of festivity creep on towards 
the morning. Childhood is ignored. Youth of a 
dozen years is introduced to the habits of people 
thrice that age. We were sadly told, by one who is 
himself a parent, that most children in the island 
but twelve years of age know the delicate relations of 
the sexes as well as they would ever know them. 
What else could be expected in an atmosphere so 
wretchedly immoral ? Small boys dressed in stove- 
pipe hats and swallow-tail coats, and little misses in 
long dresses with low necks look like mountebanks. 

Opposite the Plaza de Isabella, on the Tacon Thea- 
tre side of the square, are situated the most fashion- 
able cafes and restaurants of the capital, where u life " 
commences at nine o'clock in the evening and rages 
fast and furious until the small hours of the morning. 



GAMBLING. 151 

In these resorts, which are one blaze of light, every 
gas-burner reflected by dozens of mirrors, the marble 
tables are all occupied by vivacious patrons. Some 
are playing dominoes, some few are engaged at games 
of chess, others are busy over checkers or cards, and 
all are gambling. Even the lookers-on at the games 
freely stake their money on the fortunes of the several 
players. The whole scene is one of noise and confu- 
sion, fifty tongues giving voice at the same time. If 
a Spaniard or Creole loses a dollar he gesticulates and 
argues about it as though thousands were involved 
in the issue. These people represent all classes. 
Some are in their shirt-sleeves, some roughly clothed, 
some in full evening dress ; Spaniards, Creoles, mu- 
lattoes, and occasionally an unmistakable European. 
They drink often, but not strong liquors, and one is 
surprised to hear coffee so often called for in place of 
wine. The games are kept up until two or three 
o'clock in the morning. Loitering about the doors 
beggars always form the shadow of the scene ; some 
lame, some blind, mostly negroes and coolies ; now and 
then there is seen among them an intelligent but sad 
white face, which looks rather than utters its appeal. 
These are often the recipients of the successful gam- 
bler's bounty. Now and again a lottery-ticket vender 
comes in and makes the circuit of the tables, always 
disposing of more or less chances, sometimes selling a 
whole ticket, price one doubloon, or seventeen dollars. 
As we watch the scene a daintily dressed youth with 
shining beaver lounges in, accompanied by one of the 
demi-monde gayly dressed and sparkling with jew- 
elry which betrays her want of modesty. She is of 
the true Andalusian type, olive complexion, coal-black 
hair with eyes to match, and long dark lashes; pe- 



152 DUE SOUTH. 

tite in figure and youthful, but aged in experience. 
Bonnetless, her luxuriant hair is set high upon her 
head, held by a square tortoise-shell comb, and 
carelessly thrown off her forehead with a parting on 
one side. Be sure some sad story underlies her career. 
She is of just that gypsy cast that painters love to de- 
lineate. They sit down at a side table and order ices, 
cake, and champagne. These are consumed amid 
jests and laughter, the spurious champagne, at a 
fabulous cost, is drunk merrily, the hours creep on, 
and the couple retire to give place to others, after 
having furnished a picture of the fast, false life of 
these brilliant, but dissipated haunts. 

Some of these cafes are more exclusive than others, 
where respectable ladies and gentlemen can retire 
after the band has ceased its performance, and enjoy 
the cooling influence of an ice. The Louvre, just 
opposite the Plaza de Isabella and adjoining the 
Tacon Theatre, is one of such. These establishments 
couple with their current evening business that of 
the manufacture of choice preserves for domestic use 
and also for export, the fruits of the island supplying 
the basis for nearly a hundred varieties of fruit pre- 
serves, which find large sales in our Northern cities 
and in Europe. 

In carnival week these cafes do an immense busi- 
ness ; it is the harvest of their year. People who can 
hardly afford three meals a day pinch themselves and 
suffer much self-denial that they may have money to 
spend in carnival week. The public masquerade 
balls, which then take place, allure all classes. The 
celebrations of the occasion culminate in a grand 
public masquerade ball given in the Tacon Theatre. 
The floor of the parquette is temporarily raised to a 



THE FAMOUS TACON THEATRE. 153 

level with the boxes and the stage, the entire floor or 
lower part of the house being converted into a grand 
ball-room. The boxes and galleries are thrown open 
free to the public. The music, furnished by two 
military bands, alternating in their performance, 
is kept up until broad daylight, while the participants 
come and go as they please. A little after midnight 
an organization called the comparzas comes upon the 
scene. It is composed of men, boys, and women, 
all masked, who have practiced for the occasion some 
emblematic dance to perform for their own and the 
public amusement. The other dancers give way and 
the new-comers perform, in harlequin fashion, their 
allotted parts. Towards morning a large paper globe 
is suspended from the ceiling and lowered to within 
a certain height from the floor. Blindfolded volunteers 
of both sexes, furnished with sticks, are permitted to 
walk towards and try to hit it. Scores fail, others 
just graze the globe of paper, all amid loud laughter 
from the spectators. Finally some one hits the globe 
full and fair, bringing down the contents amid vocif- 
erous applause. Then commences a general scramble 
for the contents, consisting of bonbons, toys, and 
fancy trinkets. 

The celebrated Tacon Theatre faces the Paseo de 
Isabella, and is built on the corner of San Rafael 
Street. It is a capacious structure, but extremely 
plain and unimpressive in its exterior appearance. 
It has five tiers of boxes and a spacious parquette, the 
latter furnished with separate arm-chair seats for six 
hundred persons. The entire seating capacity of the 
house is a trifle over three thousand, and the audito- 
rium is of the horseshoe shape. The lattice-work fin- 
ish before the boxes is very light and graceful in 



154 DUE SOUTH. 

effect, ornamented with gilt, and so open as to display 
the dresses and pretty feet of the fair occupants to the 
best advantage. The frescos are in good style, and 
the ornamentation, without being excessive, is in 
excellent and harmonious taste. A large, magnifi- 
cent glass chandelier, lighted with gas, and numerous 
smaller ones extending from the boxes give a brilliant 
light to this elegant house, which is one of the largest 
theatres in the world. The scene is a remarkable 
one when tier upon tier is filled with gayly dressed 
ladies, powdered and rouged as Cuban women are apt 
to be, in the most liberal manner. The parquette is 
reserved for gentlemen, and when the audience is as- 
sembled forms a striking contrast to the rest of the 
house, as they always appear in dark evening dress, 
and between the acts put on their tall black beaver 
hats. These audiences have their own special modes 
of exhibiting appreciation or applause, when capti- 
vated by a prima donna's or a danseuse's efforts to 
please them. At favorable moments during the per- 
formance the artist is showered with bouquets ; white 
doves are set free from the boxes, bearing laudatory 
verses fastened to their wings ; gentlemen throw their 
hats upon the stage, and sometimes even purses 
weighted with gold. Tiny balloons are started with 
long streamers of colored ribbon attached ; jewelry 
in the shape of bracelets and rings is conveyed over 
the footlights; in short, these Spaniards are some- 
times extraordinarily demonstrative. A furore has 
sometimes cost these caballeros large sums of money. 
But we are describing the past rather than the im- 
mediate present, for the scarcity of pecuniary means 
has put an end to nearly all such extravagances. The 
Havanese are peculiar in their tastes. While Miss 



THE HAVANA CASINO. 155 

Adelaide Phillips was more than once the recipient 
of extravagant favors on the Tacon Theatre stage, 
Jenny Lind did not pay her professional expenses 
when she sang there. 

The military are always in attendance in large 
numbers at the theatre, as at all public gatherings in 
Cuba, their only perceptible use being to stare the 
ladies out of countenance and to obstruct the passage- 
ways. In front of the main entrance to the theatre 
is an open area decorated with tropical plants and 
trees, where a group of the crimson hibiscus was ob- 
served, presenting a gorgeous effect of color. The 
other places of amusement in Havana, of a dramatic 
character, are the Pay ret Theatre, very large, seat- 
ing twenty-five hundred ; the Albisu Theatre, and 
the Circo, Teatro de Jane, this latter combining a 
theatre with a circus. 

As a place of amusement and instruction combined 
we should be remiss not to mention the Casino of 
Havana. It is carried on by an organized society 
formed on the basis of a club and has, we were told, 
over one hundred members. The Casino occupies a 
fine building, fronting Obispo Street, and close to 
the parks. It supports a free school for teaching the 
English and French languages and drawing. After 
some fifteen years of successful existence the society 
has become one of the institutions of the metropolis. 
The halls and apartments are large, lofty, and very 
finely furnished with all domestic conveniences except 
sleeping accommodations. Here dramatic entertain- 
ments are frequently given, mostly by amateurs, and 
generally for charitable purposes. The main ball- 
room of the Casino is handsomely decorated and is 
the scene of occasional masked balls, after the true 



156 DUE SOUTH. 

Madrid style, where many an intrigue is consum- 
mated which does not always end without bloodshed. 
It is the favorite resort of all the high officials of Ha- 
vana, who have within their possible reach too few 
social entertainments not to make the most of those 
presented at the Casino. During the carnival season 
the ball-room of the establishment is said to present, 
in the form of nightly masquerade balls, scenes which 
for gayety and picturesqueness cannot be surpassed in 
Europe. 

Old Havana is certainly eclipsed by the really 
fine broad streets and the palatial buildings which 
have sprung up outside of her ancient limits. In 
point of picturesqueness the old town has prece- 
dence. Near where the Indian Paseo and the Plaza 
de Isabella II. join each other, a portion of the old 
wall which once surrounded the city is still to be 
seen, with its crumbling bastions and ivy-grown de- 
bris. Sufficient is left to show that the wall was a re- 
markably substantial one and an efficient defense 
against the modes of attack prevalent when it was 
built. The Indian Paseo commences opposite the 
Campo de Marte, and is so called from the large mar- 
ble fountain dedicated to that aboriginal idea. This 
elaborate structure was executed in Italy at large 
expense. Its principal figure is an Indian maiden, 
allegorical of Havana, supporting a shield bearing the 
arms of the city. These paseos are admirably orna- 
mented on either side by a continuous line of laurel 
trees whose thick foliage gives admirable shade. On 
either side of the long central promenade the well- 
paved streets are broad and handsome, being orna- 
mented with high buildings of a domestic and public 
character and of good architectural effect. The Ma- 



THE GOVERNOR'S GARDEN. 157 

tanzas & Havana Railroad depot is situated just oppo- 
site one end of the Campo de Marte, its freight yard 
extending also along the Paseo for an entire block, 
detracing much from the fine effect of the broad 
street. The trains and noisy engines being thus 
brought into the midst of the dwellings and business 
centre of the city render it very objectionable. The 
guests of the Telegrafo Hotel can bear testimony as 
to the nuisance thus created, being awakened at all 
sorts of unreasonable hours by the engine bell and 
steam whistle. 

The Botanical Garden is situated about a mile 
from the city proper, adjoining which are the at- 
tractive grounds of the Governor General's country- 
house. Both are open to the public and richly repay 
a visit. The Governor's grounds are shaded by a 
great variety of tropical trees and flowers. Here 
was seen what is called the water rose, pink in color 
and nearly double the size of our pond lily, recalling 
the Egyptian lotus, to which family it would seem 
it must belong. Altogether, the place is a wilder- 
ness of blossoms, composed of exotic and native flow- 
ers. There is also an interesting aviary to be seen here, 
and a small artificial lake is covered with curious web- 
footed birds and brilliant-feathered ducks. The gar- 
dens seem to be neglected, but they are very lovely 
in their native luxuriance. Dead wood and decaying 
leaves are always a concomitant of such gardens in 
the low latitudes. If the roses and heliotropes are in 
full bloom, some other flowering shrub alongside is 
taking its rest and looks rusty, so that the whole gar- 
den is never in a glow of beauty at one time, as is the 
case with us in June. The noble alley of palms, the 
great variety of trees, blossoms, and shrubs, the music 



158 DUE SOUTH. 

of the fountains, and the tropical flavor permeating 
everything were all in the harmony of languid beauty. 
The coral tree, that lovely freak of vegetation, was in 
bloom, its small but graceful stem, seven or eight feet 
in height, being topped above the gracefully pendent 
leaves with a bit of vegetable coral of deepest red, 
and in the form of the sea growth from which it takes 
its name. The star cactus was in full flower, the 
scarlet buds starting out from the flat surface of the 
thick leaves after a queer and original fashion. The 
bread-fruit tree, with its large, melon-like product, 
hung heavy with the nourishing esculent. The Caro- 
lina tree, with gorgeous blossoms like military pom- 
pons, blazed here and there, overshadowing the large, 
pure white, and beautiful campanile, with hanging 
flowers, like metallic bells, after which the plant is 
named. Here too was a great variety of the scarlet 
hibiscus and the garland of night (galan de noche), 
which grows like a young palm to eight or nine feet, 
throwing out from the centre of its drooping foli- 
age a cluster of brown blossoms tipped with white, 
shaped like a mammoth bunch of grapes. It blooms 
at night and is fragrant only by moon and starlight. 
Cuba presents an inexhaustible field for the botanist, 
and in its wilder portions recalls the island of Ceylon 
in the Indian Ocean. As Ceylon is called the pearl 
of India so is Cuba the pearl of the Antilles. 

To reach the Governor's Garden one turns west 
from the Campo de Marte and takes the Calzada de 
la Reina, which followed about a mile in a straight 
line becomes the Paseo de Tacon, really but a contin- 
uation of the former street, commencing at the statue 
of Carlos III., a colossal monument placed in the mid- 
dle of the broad driveway. This Paseo forms the favo- 



THE ALAMEDA. 159 

rite evening drive of the citizens, where the ladies in 
victorias and the gentlemen either as equestrians or on 
foot pass and repass each other, gayly saluting, the 
ladies with a coquettish flourish of the fan, and the 
gentlemen with a peculiar wave of the hand. It is in 
fact the Champs Elysees of Havana, but the road is 
sadly out of repair and as dusty as an ash-pit. 

The Alameda — every large Spanish city has a 
spot so designated — skirts the shore of the harbor 
on the city side, near the south end of Oficios Street, 
and is a favorite resort for promenaders at the even- 
ing hour. Here a refreshing coolness is breathed 
from off the sea. This Alameda de Paula might be 
a continuation of the Neapolitan Chiaja. With char- 
acteristics quite different, still these shores constantly 
remind one of the Mediterranean, Sorrento, Amalfi, 
and Capri, recalling the shadows which daily creep 
up the heights of San Elmo and disappear with the 
setting sun behind the orange groves. Sometimes it 
would seem to be the grand problem of humanity, 
why the loveliest regions of the earth and the softest 
climates should be apportioned to the share of slaves 
and despots. 

The cathedral of Havana, on Empedrado Street, 
is a structure of much interest, its rude pillared front 
of defaced and moss-grown stone plainly telling of 
the wear of time. The two lofty towers are hung 
with many bells, which daily call with their brazen 
tongues to matins and vespers. Some of these bells 
are very ancient. The church is not elaborately or- 
namented, — it rather strikes one with its unusual 
plainness. It contains a few oil paintings of mode- 
rate merit, and also the tomb where the ashes of Co- 
lumbus so long reposed. All that is visible of this 



160 DUE SOUTH. 

tomb, which is on the right of the altar, is a marble 
tablet six or eight feet square, upon which, in high 
relief, is a bust of the great discoverer. As a work of 
art, the less said of this effigy the better. Beneath 
the image is an inscription sufficiently bombastic and 
Spanish in tone, but therein we observed no mention 
was made of the chains and imprisonment with which 
an ungrateful country rewarded this man whom his- 
tory so delights to honor. It will be remembered 
that Columbus died at Valladolid in 1506. In 1513 
his remains were transferred to Seville, preparatory 
to their being sent, as desired in his will, to St. Do- 
mingo, to which city they were removed in 1536. 
When that island was ceded to France, they were 
brought with great pomp to Havana in a national 
ship (January 15, 1796), and deposited in this cathe- 
dral in the presence of all the high authorities of the 
island. These remains have again been removed, and 
are now interred at Seville, in Spain. The cathedral, 
aside from this association, is really attractive, and 
one lingers with quiet thoughtfulness among its mar- 
ble aisles and confessionalsc The lofty dome is sup- 
ported by pillars of marble and the walls are frescoed. 
The high altar is a remarkable composition, with pil- 
lars of porphyry mingled with a confusion of images, 
candlesticks, and tinsel. The stalls for the priests are 
handsomely carved in mahogany. It was annoying 
to see Gothic grandeur and modern frippery so 
mingled as was observable in this church. When 
mass is being performed women attend in goodly 
numbers, but one rarely sees any of the male popula- 
tion present, unless they be, like the author, strangers 
come hither from curiosity to see the interior of this 
Cathedral de la Virgen Maria de la Concepcion. 



THE OLD BELL-RINGER. 161 

All persons who come to Havana visit the cathedral 
because it contains the tomb of Columbus, but if 
they have traveled in Europe they have seen so much 
finer structures of this class, especially in Spain, that 
this one challenges but little attention. Let us, gen- 
tle reader, go up into the lofty bell tower, where we 
shall find the most comprehensive view possible of 
the Cuban capital. The old bell-ringer, seated before 
a deal table, ekes out a scanty living by making ci- 
gars away up here in his circumscribed eyrie. What 
an original he would have been in the practiced hands 
of Victor Hugo ! This hermit of the tower will call 
your attention to the ancient bells, which are his sole 
companions : one bears the date of 1664, with a half- 
defaced Latin legend; another is dated at London, 
1698. He is a queer old enthusiast about these bells, 
and will tell you on what special occasions of interest 
he has caused them to speak with metallic tongue to 
the people : now as a danger signal ; then uttering 
sounds of triumph and announcing a victory ; again, 
tolling the notes of sorrow for the departed, or as 
merry marriage bells, the heralds of joy. He will tell 
you how many years, man and boy, he has summoned 
the devout to matins and to vespers with their res- 
onant voices. If you have a fancy for such things, 
and some silver to spare, after leaving the bell tower 
the sacristan will show you the rich vestments, robes, 
and laces for priestly wear belonging to the church, 
not forgetting many saintly garments wrought in gold 
and studded with precious stones. Perhaps you will 
think, as we did, that such things are but tinsel be- 
fore Him whom they are supposed to honor. Such 
dazzling paraphernalia may attract the ignorant or 
the thoughtless — may make followers, but not con- 
li 



162 DUE SOUTH. 

verts. Conviction is not the child of fancy, but of 
judgment. 

In an anteroom at the left of the altar there are 
also to be seen utensils of silver and gold, with many- 
costly ornaments for use before the altar on special 
church occasions. One of these is a triumph of deli- 
cate workmanship and of the silversmith's art. It is 
in the form of a Gothic tower of very elaborate and ar- 
tistic design, composed of solid silver, ornamented 
with gold and precious stones. One regards this thor- 
oughly useless disposal of money with the thought 
that the articles were better sold and the proceeds 
bestowed in worthy charity. It would then fulfill a 
far more Christian purpose than that of adding glitter 
to church pomp and ceremony. 

To witness the observance of Holy Week, commen- 
cing with Palm Sunday, in Havana, one would be 
impressed with a conviction that the people were at 
heart devout Roman Catholics. The occasion is sol- 
emnly observed. On Sunday the old cathedral is 
crowded by people who come to obtain branches of 
holy palm from the priests. The old bell-ringer be- 
comes an important agent of the ceremonies, and the 
solemn spirit of the occasion seems to imbue all 
classes of the Havanese. On Holy Thursday, just 
before midday, the bells of all the churches cease to 
ring, and every vehicle in the city disappears from the 
streets as if by magic The garrison marches through 
the principal thoroughfares in silence, with measured 
tread and arms reversed. The national flags upon 
the shipping, and on all the forts from Moro to the 
Castillo del Principe, are displayed at half mast. 
The cathedral and the churches are draped in mourn- 
ing. On Friday, the effigy of our Saviour's body is 



MILITARY MASS. 163 

carried in solemn procession, men and priests march- 
ing with heads uncovered, and devout women of the 
common classes, especially colored ones, kneeling in 
the street as it passes. On Saturday, at ten o'clock in 
the morning, the old bell-ringer suddenly starts a 
merry peal from the cathedral tower — the bells of 
La Merced, San Agustin, Santa Clara, and Santa 
Cataline follow ; the town awakens to gayety as from 
a lethargic sleep. Whites and negroes rush through 
the streets like mad ; vehicles of all sorts again make 
their appearance, the forts and national ships are 
dressed in holiday flags, and the town is shaken with 
reiterated salutes from a hundred cannons. 

Military mass, as performed within the cathedral, 
seemed more like a theatrical show than a solemn 
religious service. On the occasion referred to, the 
congregation as usual was sparse, and consisted al- 
most exclusively of women, who seem to do penance 
for both sexes in Cuba. The military band which led 
the column of infantry marched in, playing a quick 
operatic air, deploying to one side for the soldiery 
to pass towards the altar. The time-keeping steps 
of the soldiery upon the marble floor mingled with 
drum, fife, and organ. Through all this, one caught 
now and then the monotonous voice of a shaven- 
headed priest, reciting his prescribed part at the al- 
tar, kneeling and reading at intervals. The busy 
censer boys in white gowns ; the flaring candles 
casting long shadows athwart the high altar ; the files 
of soldiers kneeling and rising at the tap of the drum ; 
the atmosphere clouded with the fumes of burning 
incense, — all combined to make up a singularly dra- 
matic picture. The gross mummery witnessed at the 
temple of Buddha in Ceylon differed only in form, 
scarcely in degree. 



164 DUE SOUTH. 

The wealth of the churches of the monks in the 
island was formerly proverbial, but of late the rich 
perquisites which the priests were so long permitted to 
extort from the credulous public have been diverted 
so as to flow into the coffers of the crown. A military 
depotism brooks no rival in authority. The priests 
at one time possessed large tracts of land in Cuba, 
and their revenue therefrom, especially when they 
were improved as sugar plantations, was very large. 
These lands have all been confiscated by the govern- 
ment, and with the loss of their property the power of 
the monks has declined and. their numbers have also 
diminished. Still the liberty of public worship is de- 
nied to all save Roman Catholics. Since the sup- 
pression of monastic institutions, some of the convents 
have been utilized for hospitals, government store- 
houses, and other public offices in Havana. There 
are some manifest incongruities that suggest them- 
selves as existing between Church and state upon the 
island. For instance, the Church recognizes the unity 
of all races and even permits marriage between all, 
but here steps in the civil law of Cuba and prohibits 
marriage between white persons and those having any 
taint of negro blood. In consequence of this, — na- 
ture always asserting herself regardless of conven- 
tionalities, — a quasi family arrangement often exists 
between white men and mulatto or quadroon women, 
whereby the children are recognized as legitimate. 
But should either party come under the discipline of 
the Church, the relationship must terminate. Again, 
as is perfectly well known, many of the priests, under 
a thin disguise, lead domestic lives, where a family of 
children exist under the care of a single mother, who 
is debarred from the honest name of wife by the laws 



PRIESTLY LICENSE. 165 

of celibacy which are stringently held as the inexor- 
able rule of the Church. 

If the priesthood keep from cock-fighting and 
gambling, says a late writer on the subject, notwith- 
standing many other departures from propriety, they 
are considered respectable. Can there be any wonder 
that the masses of men in Cuba recognize no religious 
obligations, since none save Roman Catholicism is 
tolerated, and that, through its priesthood, is so dis- 
graced ? 



CHAPTER IX. 

Political Inquisition. — Fashionable Streets of the City. — Trades- 
men's Signs. — Bankrupt Condition of Traders. — The Spanish 
Army. — Exiled Patriots. — Arrival of Recruits. — The Garrote. 
— A Military Execution. — Cuban Milk Dealers. — Exposure of 
Domestic Life. — Living in the Open Air. — The Campo Santo of 
Havana. — A Euneral Cortege. — Punishing Slaves. — Campo de 
Marte. — Hotel Telegrafo. — Environs of the City. — Bishop's Gar- 
den. — Consul-General Williams. — Mineral Springs. 

The Inquisition, as it regards the Church of Rome, 
is suppressed in Cuba, but the political inquisition, 
as exercised by the government on the island, is even 
more diabolical than that of the former Jesuitical 
organization, because it is more secret in its murder- 
ous deeds, not one half of the horrors of which will 
ever be publicly known. Moro Castle is full of po- 
litical prisoners, who are thinned out by executions, 
starvation, and hardships generally, from day to day, 
only to make room for fresh victims. He who enters 
those grim portals leaves all hope behind. Political 
trials there are none, but of political arrests there are 
endless numbers. The life of every citizen is at the 
disposal of the Captain-General. If a respectable 
person is arrested, as one suspected of animosity 
towards the government, he simply disappears. His 
friends dare not press his defense, or inquire too 
closely as to his case, lest they, too, should be incar- 
cerated on suspicion, never again to regain their lib- 
erty. A maxim of Spanish law is that every accused 
person is guilty, until he proves himself innocent ! As 



TRADESMEN'S SIGNS. 167 

a large majority of the people, in their hearts, sym- 
pathize with the revolutionists, and are revolutionists 
in secret, they are liable to say or to do some trifling 
thing unwittingly, upon which the lynx-eyed officials 
seize as evidence of guilt, and their arrest follows. 
What fearful stories the dungeons of Moro could re- 
veal had they tongue with which to speak ! 

Obispo and O'Riley streets are the principal shop- 
ping thoroughfares of the metropolis, containing 
many fine stores for the sale of dry goods, millinery, 
china, glassware, and jewelry. These shops are 
generally quite open in front. Standing at the end, 
and looking along either of these thoroughfares, one 
gets a curious perspective view. The party-colored 
awnings often stretch entirely across the narrow 
streets, reminding one of a similar effect in Canton, 
where straw matting takes the place of canvas, form- 
ing a sort of open marquee. The queer names 
adopted for the stores never fail to afford a theme of 
amusement ; the drawling cries of the fruit-dealers 
and peripatetic tradesmen giving an added interest. 
The merchant in Havana does not designate his 
establishment by placing his own name upon his sign, 
but adopts some fancy title, such as Diana, America, 
The Star, Virtue, The Golden Lion, and so on, which 
titles are paraded in gilt letters over the door. The 
Spanish people are always prodigal in names, making 
the sun, moon and stars, gods and goddesses, all do 
duty in designating their stores, villas, and planta- 
tions. Nearly every town on the island is named 
after some apostle or saint. The tradesmen are thor- 
ough Jews in their style of dealing with the public, 
and no one thinks of paying them the price which 
they first demand for an article. It is their practice 



/ 



168 DUE SOUTH. 

in naming a price to make allowance for reduction ; 
they expect to be bargained with, or cheapened at least 
one half. The ladies commonly make their purchases 
late in the afternoon or evening, stopping in their 
victorias at the doors of the shops, from whence the 
articles they desire are brought by the shopmen and 
deftly displayed on the street. When lighted up at 
night the stores are really brilliant and attractive, 
presenting quite a holiday appearance ; but customers 
are sadly wanting in these days of business depres- 
sion. " I have been compelled to dismiss my sales- 
men and do their work myself," said a dry -goods 
merchant to us ; " we dare not give credit, and few 
persons have cash to spare in these times." 

One of the principal causes of the present bank- 
rupt condition of the people of Cuba is the critical 
period of transition through which the island is 
passing from slave to free labor ; besides which there 
is the exhaustion consequent upon years of civil war 
and a succession of bad crops. Labor is becoming 
dearer and sugar cheaper. The Spaniards are slow 
to adopt labor-saving machinery, or new ideas of any 
sort, and those not already supplied have neither 
capital nor credit with which to procure the new 
machinery for sugar-making. The enormous produc- 
tion of European beet-sugar has cut off all Conti- 
nental demand for their staple, and has in some 
degree superseded its use in America. Brigandage 
is on the increase, as poverty and want of legitimate 
employment prevail. Money, when it can be bor- 
rowed at all, is at a ruinous interest. The army of 
office-holders still manage to extort considerable sums 
in the aggregate from the people, under the guise of 
necessary taxes. Financial ruin stares all in the face. 



REVERSES OF FORTUNE. 169 

It is a sad thing to say, but only too true, that among 
people heretofore considered above suspicion in com- 
mercial transactions great dishonesty prevails, pe- 
cuniary distress and lack of credit driving men, once 
in good standing, to defraud their creditors at home 
and abroad. Estates and plantations are not only 
heavily mortgaged, but the prospective crops are in 
the same condition, in many cases. In former pros- 
perous years the planters have been lavish spenders 
of money, ever ready to use their credit to the full 
extent, until their interest account has consumed 
their principal. The expensive habits acquired under 
the promptings of large profits and a sure market are 
difficult to overcome, and people who never antici- 
pated the present state of affairs are now forced to 
exercise economy and self-denial. Cuban planters 
and their families, in years past, came to our most 
fashionable watering-places decked with jewels of 
almost fabulous value, and they lavished gold like 
water; most of these individuals considered them- 
selves to be rich beyond the chances of fortune. 
Their profuse style of living was a source of envy ; 
their liberality to landlords and to servants was 
demoralizing, as it regarded the tariff of hotel prices 
for more steady-going people. Thousands of human 
beings were yielding their enforced labor to fill these 
spendthrifts' purses, and sugar was king. The pic- 
ture has its reverse. Civil war has supervened, the 
slaves are being freed, sugar is no longer a bonanza, 
and the rich man of yesterday is the bankrupt of to- 
day. Truly riches have wings. 

Spain keeps a large and effective force of soldiers 
upon the island, — an army out of all proportion in 
numbers to the- territory or people she holds in 



170 DUE SOUTH. 

subjection. The present military force must number 
some forty thousand, rank and file, and the civil de- 
partment fully equals the army in number ; and all 
are home Spaniards. A large portion of the military 
are kept in the eastern department of the island, 
which is and has ever been the locality where revo- 
lutionary outbreaks occur. Eighty per cent, of all 
the soldiers ever sent to Cuba have perished there ! 
It is as Castelar once pronounced the island to be, 
in the Cortes at Madrid, namely, the Campo Santo 
of the Spanish array. Exposure, a miserable com- 
missariat, the climate, and insurgent bullets combine 
to thin the ranks of the army like a raging pestilence. 
We were informed by a responsible party that twenty- 
five per cent, of the newly-arrived soldiers died in 
their first year, during what is called their acclimation. 
Foreigners who visit Cuba for business or pleasure 
do so at the most favorable season ; they are not sub- 
jected to hardships nor exposed in malarial districts. 
The soldiers, on the contrary, are sent indiscrim- 
inately into the fever districts at the worst season, 
besides being called upon to endure hardships, all the 
time, which predispose them to fatal diseases. 

There are known to be organized juntas of revo- 
lutionists at Key West, Florida, in Hayti, and also 
in New York city, whose designs upon the Cuban 
government keep the authorities on the island in a 
state of chronic alarm. A revolutionary spirit is felt 
to be all the while smouldering in the hearts of this 
oppressed people, and hence the tyrannous espionage, 
and the cruelty exercised towards suspected persons. 
So enormous are the expenses, military and civil, 
which are required to sustain the government, under 
these circumstances, that Cuba to-day, not withstand- 



EXILED PATRIOTS — RECRUITS. 171 

ing the heavy taxes extorted from her populace, is an 
annual expense to the throne. Formerly the snug 
sum of seven or eight millions of dollars was the 
yearly contribution which the island made to the 
royal treasury, after paying local army, navy, and 
civil expenses. This handsome sum was over and 
above the pickings and stealings of the venal officials. 
As to the Cuban sympathizers at Key West, Florida, 
a recent visit to that port, just opposite to the island 
on the hither side of the Gulf Stream, showed us that 
they formed a large proportion of the population of 
that thrifty American town. On a day which was 
the anniversary of some patriotic occasion relating to 
the island, hundreds of Cuban flags (the single star of 
free Cuba) were seen displayed upon the dwellings 
and public places. There are believed to be two 
thousand Creoles residing here, who have either been 
expelled from the island for political reasons, or 
who have escaped from thence as suspected patriots. 
These people are very generally engaged in the 
manufacture of the well-known Key West cigars. 

The Spanish army is governed with an iron hand. 
Military law knows no mercy, and it is always more 
or less a lapse into barbarism where it takes pre- 
cedence. The ranks are filled by conscription in 
Spain, and when the men first arrive at Havana they 
are the rawest recruits imaginable. Soldiers who 
have been doing garrison duty are sent inland to fill 
the decimated ranks of various stations, and room is 
thus made for the recruits, who are at once put to 
work, enduring a course of severe discipline and drill. 
They land from the transports, many of them, hatless, 
barefooted, and in a filthy condition, with scarcely a 
whole garment among a regiment of them. The 



172 DUE SOUTH. 

writer could hardly believe, on witnessing the scene, 
that they were not a set of criminals being trans- 
ported for penal servitude. Fatigue dresses no doubt 
awaited them at the barracks, and after a while they 
would be served with a cheap uniform, coarse shoes, 
and straw hats. They are like sheep being driven to 
the shambles, and are quite as helpless. Twenty-five 
per cent, and upwards of these recruits are usually 
under the sod before the close of a twelve-month ! 

Sometimes the hardship they have to endure breeds 
rebellion among them, but woe betide those who 
commit any overt act, or become leaders of any 
organized attempt to obtain justice. The service 
requires frequent victims as examples to enforce the 
rigid discipline. The punishment by the garrote is 
a common resort. It is a machine contrived to choke 
the victim to death without suspending him in the 
air. At the same time it is fatal in another way, 
namely, by severing the spinal column just below 
its connection with the brain. The condemned man 
is placed upon a chair fixed on a platform, leaning 
his head and neck back into a sort of iron yoke or 
frame prepared to receive it. Here an iron collar 
is clasped about the throat. At the appointed mo- 
ment a screw is suddenly turned by the executioner, 
stationed behind the condemned, and instantaneous 
death follows. This would seem to be more merciful 
than hanging, whereby death is produced by the lin- 
gering process of suffocation, to say nothing of the 
many mishaps which so often occur upon the gallows. 
This mode of punishment is looked upon by the army 
as a disgrace, and they much prefer the legitimate 
death of a soldier, which is to fall by the bullets of 
his comrades when condemned to die. 



A MILITARY EXECUTION. 173 

The writer witnessed one of these military execu- 
tions, early on a clear April morning, which took 
place in the rear of the barracks near La Punta. It 
was a trying experience, and recalled to mind the 
execution of the mulatto poet and patriot, Valdez, 
which had occurred a few years before in the Plaza 
at Matanzas. It was a sight to chill the blood even 
under a tropical sun. A soldier of the line was to 
be shot for some act of insubordination against the 
stringent rules of the army, and that the punishment 
might prove a forcible example to his comrades the 
battalion to which he belonged was drawn up on 
parade to witness the cruel scene. The immediate 
file of twelve men to which the victim had belonged 
were supplied with muskets by their officer, and we 
were told that, according to custom, one musket was 
left without ball, so that each one might hope that 
his was not the hand to slay his former comrade. A 
sense of mercy would still lead them all to aim faith- 
fully, so that lingering pain might be avoided. 

The order was given : the bright morning sun shone 
like living fire along the polished barrels of the guns, 
as the fatal muzzles all ranged in point at the body of 
the condemned. " Fire ! " said the commanding officer. 
A quick, rattling report followed, accompanied by 
a thin cloud of smoke, which was at once dispersed by 
the sea breeze, showing the still upright form of the 
victim. Though wounded in many places, no vital 
spot had been touched, nor did he fall until the sergeant, 
at a sign from his officer, advanced with a reserved 
musket, and quickly blew out his brains ! His body 
was removed. The troops were formed into column, 
the band struck up a lively air, and thus was a human 
being launched into eternity. 



174 DUE SOUTH. 

Few current matters strike the stranger as being 
more peculiar than the Cuban milkman's mode of 
supplying the required aliment to his town customers. 
He has no cart bearing shining cans, they in turn 
filled with milk, or with what purports to be milk ; 
his mode is direct, and admits of no question as to 
purity. Driving his sober kine from door to door, 
he deliberately milks then and there just the quantity 
required by each customer, delivers it, and drives on 
to the next. The patient animal becomes as famil- 
iar with the residences of her master's customers as 
he is himself, and stops unbidden, at regular intervals, 
before the proper doors, often followed by a pretty 
little calf, which amuses itself by gazing enviously 
at the process, being prevented from interfering by 
a leather muzzle. Sometimes the flow of milk is 
checked by an effort of the animal herself, when she 
seems to realize that the calf is not getting its share 
of nourishment. The driver then promptly brings the 
calf to the mother's side, and removes the muzzle long 
enough to give the little one a brief chance. The 
cow freely yields her milk while the calf is close to 
her, and the milkman, muzzling the calf, adroitly 
milks into his measure. The same mode is adopted 
in India and the south of Spain. There are at least 
two good reasons for delivering milk in hot climates 
after this fashion. First, there can be no adulteration 
of the article ; and second, it is sure to be fresh and 
sweet. This last is a special desideratum in a climate 
where ice is an expensive luxury, and the difficulty of 
keeping milk from becoming acid is very great. The 
effect upon the cow is by no means salutary, causing 
the animal to produce much less in quantity than 
when milked clean at regularly fixed hours, as with 



EXPOSURE OF DOMESTIC LIFE. 175 

us. Goats are often driven about for the same pur- 
pose and used in the same manner. It was a surprise 
not to see more of these animals in Cuba, a country 
especially adapted to them. Cows thrive best upon 
grass, of which there is comparatively little in the 
tropics, — vegetation runs to larger development ; but 
goats eat anything green, and do well nearly any- 
where. It is a singular fact that sheep transported 
to this climate cease gradually to produce wool. After 
three or four generations they grow only a simple 
covering, more like hair than wool, and resemble 
goats rather than sheep. 

Glass is scarcely known in Cuban windows ; the 
glazier has yet to make his de*but in Havana. The 
most pretentious as well as the humblest of the town- 
houses have the broad, high, projecting window, reach- 
ing from floor to ceiling, secured only by heavy hori- 
zontal iron bars, prison-like in effect, through which, 
as one passes along the narrow streets, it is nearly 
impossible to avoid glancing in upon domestic scenes 
that frequently exhibit the female portion of the fam- 
ily en deshabille. Sometimes a loose lace curtain 
intervenes, but even this is unusual, the freest circu- 
lation of fresh air being quite necessary. The eye 
penetrates the whole interior of domestic life, as at 
Yokohama or Tokio. Indeed, the manners of the 
female occupants seem to court this attention from 
without, coming freely as they do to the windows to 
chat with passers-by. Once inside of these dwelling- 
houses there are no doors, curtains alone shutting off 
the communication between chambers, sitting-rooms, 
and corridors. These curtains, when not looped up, 
are sufficient to keep out persons of the household 
or strangers, it being the custom always to speak, in 



176 DUE SOUTH. 

place of knocking, before passing a curtain ; but the 
little naked negro children, male and female, creep 
under these curtains without restraint, while parrots, 
pigeons, and fowls generally make common use of 
all nooks and corners of the house. Doors might 
keep these out of one's room, but curtains do not. 
The division walls between the apartments in private 
houses, like those in the hotels, often reach but two 
thirds of the way up to the walls, thus affording free 
circulation of air, but rendering privacy impossible. 
One reason why the Cubans all possess such broad 
expanded chests is doubtless owing to the fact that 
their lungs find free action at all times. They live, 
as it were, in the open air. The effect of this upon 
strangers is seen and felt, producing a sense of physi- 
cal exhilaration, fine spirits, and a good appetite. It 
would be impossible to live in a dwelling-house built 
in our close, secure style, if it were placed in the city 
of Havana. The laundress takes possession of the 
roof of the house during the day, but it is the place 
of social gathering at night, when the family and 
their guests enjoy the sea-breeze which sweeps in 
from the Gulf of Mexico. On a clear, bright moon- 
light night the effect is very striking as one looks 
across the house-tops, nearly all being upon a level. 
Many cheerful circles are gathered here and there, 
some dancing to the notes of a guitar, some singing, 
and others engaged in quiet games. Merry peals of 
laughter come from one direction and another, telling 
of light and thoughtless hearts among the family 
groups. Occasionally there is borne along the range 
of roofs the swelling but distant strains of the mili- 
tary band playing in the Plaza de Isabella, while the 
moon looks calmly down from a sky whose intensely 
blue vault is only broken by stars. 



A FUNERAL CORTEGE. 177 

The cemetery, or Campo Santo, of Havana is situ- 
ated about three miles outside of the city. A high 
wall incloses the grounds, in which oven-like niches 
are prepared for the reception of the coffins contain* 
ing the bodies of the wealthy residents, while the 
poor are thrown into shallow graves, often several 
bodies together in a long trench, negroes and whites, 
without a coffin of any sort. Upon them is thrown 
quicklime to promote rapid decomposition. The 
cremation which forms the mode of disposing of the 
bodies of the deceased as practiced in India is far 
less objectionable. 

The funeral cortege is unique in Havana. The 
hearse, drawn by four black horses, is gilded and 
decked like a car of Juggernaut, and driven by a 
flunkey in a cocked hat covered with gold braid, a 
scarlet coat alive with brass buttons and gilt orna- 
ments, and top boots which, as he sits, reach half-way 
to his chin. This individual flourishes a whip like a 
fishing-pole, and is evidently very proud of his posi- 
tion. Beside the hearse walk six hired mourners on 
either side, dressed in black, with cocked hats and 
swallow-tail coats. Fifteen or twenty victorias fol- 
low, containing only male mourners. The driver in 
scarlet, the twelve swallow-tails in black, and the 
occupants of the victorias each and all are smoking 
cigars as though their lives depended upon the suc- 
cessful operation. And so the cortege files into the 
Campo Santo. 

Not far from La Punta there is a structure, pro- 
tected from the public gaze by a high wall, where the 
slaves of either sex belonging to the citizens of Ha- 
vana are brought for punishment. Within are a se- 
ries of whipping-posts, to which these poor creatures 
12 



178 DUE SOUTH. 

are bound before applying the lash to their bare bod- 
ies. The sight of this fiendish procedure is cut off 
from the public, but more than one person has told 
us of having heard the agonizing cries of the victims. 
And yet there are people who will tell us these poor 
creatures are far better off than when in their native 
country. One slave-owner said it was necessary to 
make an example of some member of all large house- 
holds of slaves each month, in order to keep them 
under discipline ! Another, said, " I never whip my 
slaves ; it may be necessary upon a plantation, but 
not in domestic circles in town. When they have in- 
curred my displeasure, they are deprived of some 
small creature comfort, or denied certain liberties, 
which punishment seems to answer every object." So 
it will be seen that all slave-holders are not cruel. 
Some seem as judicious and reasonable as is possible 
under the miserable system of slavery. 

Opposite the Indian Paseo, General Tacon, during 
his governorship of the island, constructed a broad 
camp-ground for military parades in what is now 
becoming the heart of the city, though outside the 
limits of the old city walls. He called it the Campo 
de Marte, and surrounded the whole space, ten acres, 
more or less, with a high ornamental iron fence. It 
is in form a perfect square, and on each of the four 
sides was placed a broad, pretentious gateway, flanked 
by heavy square pillars. That on the west side he 
named Puerta de Colon ; on the north, Puerta de 
Cortes ; on the south, Puerta de Pizarro ; and on the 
east side, facing the city, he gave the gate the name 
of Puerta de Tacon. His administration has been 
more praised and more censured than that of any of 
his predecessors since the days of Velasquez. This 



HOTEL TELE GRAF 0. 179 

Campo de Marte, which, as stated, was originally in- 
tended for military purposes generally, is now con- 
verted into a public park, laid out with spacious 
walks, fountains, handsome trees, and carriage-ways. 
The gates have been removed, and the whole place 
thrown open as a thoroughfare and pleasure-ground. 

Speaking of this open square brings us to the sub- 
ject of hotels in Havana, and as we have so often 
been questioned upon this subject, doubtless a few 
words upon the matter will interest the general read- 
er. We made our temporary home for nearly a month 
at the Hotel Telegrafo, but why it is so called we do 
not know. It is considered to be one of the best in 
the city, and is centrally situated, being opposite to 
the Campo de Marte. There was a chief clerk who 
spoke English, and another who spoke French, and 
two guides who possessed the same facilities. The 
price of board was from four to five dollars per day, 
including meals and service. The rooms were very 
small, table fair, plenty of fruits and preserves, but 
the meats were poor. Fish was always fresh and good 
in Havana. Coffee and tea were poor. If one desires 
to procure good coffee, as a rule, look for it anywhere 
rather than in countries where it is grown. Clean- 
liness was not considered as being an indispensable 
virtue in the Telegrafo. Drainage received but little 
attention, and the domestic offices of the house were 
seriously offensive. The yellow fever does not pre- 
vail in Havana except in summer, say from May 
to October ; but according to recognized sanitary 
rules it should rage there every month in the year. 
The hotels in peninsular Spain are dirty enough to 
disgust any one, but those of Havana are a degree 
worse in this respect. Ai^ of our readers who have 



180 DUE SOUTH. 

chanced in their travels upon the Fonda de Rafaela, 
for instance, at Burgos, in Spain, will understand us 
fully. It was of no use to remove elsewhere ; after 
examining the other hotels it was thought best to re- 
main at the Telegrafo, on the principle adopted by 
the Irishman, who, though not inclined to believe in 
Purgatory, yet accepted this item of faith lest he 
should go further and fare worse. There is the San 
Carlos Hotel, near the wharves, which is more of 
a family than a travelers' resort ; the Hotel Pasaje, 
in Exadp Street, quite central ; Hotel Europe, in 
La Plaza de San Francisco ; and Hotels Central and 
Ingleter ra : the last two are opposite the Plaza de 
Isabella, and are in the midst of noise and gayet}^ 
Arrangements can be made at any of these houses 
for board by the day, or on the European plan ; all 
have restaurants. 

There are some very attractive summer resorts in 
the environs of the city, one of the nearest and pret- 
tiest of which is El Cerro (the hill), one league from 
town. It has a number of remarkably pleasant 
country-seats, some of which have extensive gardens, 
rivaling that of the Captain- General in extent. But 
to reach Cerro one has to drive over a road which is 
in such want of repair as to be dangerous, gullied by 
the rains, and exhibiting holes two feet deep, liable 
to break the horses' legs and the wheels of the vehi- 
cles. Here is a road, close to Havana, with stones 
weighing hundreds of pounds on the surface, in the 
very wheel-tracks. Handsome hedges of the wild 
pine, the aloe, and the Spanish bayonet line the road, 
where an occasional royal palm, the emblem of maj- 
esty, stands alone, adding grandeur to .all the sur- 
roundings. If you drive out to Cerro, put on a linen 



ENVIRONS OF THE CITY. 181 

duster ; otherwise you will be likely to come back 
looking like a miller's apprentice. Not far beyond 
Cerro there lies some beautiful country, reached by 
the same miserable road. Puentes Grandes, a small 
village near the falls of the Almendares River, is but 
two miles further north than Cerro, and adjoining 
this place, a couple of miles further, is a small, pic- 
turesque village called Ceiba, from the abundance 
of that species of tree which once flourished there. 
These two places have some interesting country resi- 
dences, where the wealthiest citizens of Havana spend 
their summers. The village of Quemados is also 
in this immediate neighborhood, about a couple of 
leagues from town ; here is situated the Havana Hip- 
podrome, where horse-races take place in the winter 
season. We must not forget to mention Vedado, on 
the seashore, whither the Havanese drive oftenest 
on Sundays ; it is also connected with the city by 
steam-cars and omnibus. There are some fine villas 
here, and it is quite a Cuban watering-place, affording 
excellent bathing facilities. Vedado has wide streets, 
and, after the city, seems to be remarkably clean and 
neat. 

The Bishop's Garden, so called because some half 
century since it was the residence of the Bishop of 
Havana, is about four miles from the city, on the 
line of the Marianao railroad. It must have been a 
delightful place when in its prime and properly cared 
for ; even now, in its ruins, it is extremely interesting. 
There are a score, more or less, of broken, moss-grown 
statues, stone balustrades, and stone capitals lying 
among the luxuriant vegetation, indicating what was 
once here. Its alleys of palms, over two hundred 
years in age, the thrifty almond- trees, and the gaudy- 



182 DUE SOUTH. 

colored pinons, with their honeysuekle-like bloom, 
delight the eye. The flamboyant absolutely blazed 
in its gorgeous flowers, like ruddy flames, all over the 
grounds. The remarkable fan-palm spread out its 
branches like a peacock's tail, screening vistas here 
and there. Through these grounds flows a small 
swift stream, which has its rise in the mountains 
some miles inland, its bright and sparkling waters 
imparting an added beauty to the place. By simple 
irrigating means this stream is made to fertilize a 
considerable tract of land used as vegetable gardens, 
lying between Tulipan and Havana. The Bishop's 
Garden still contains large stone basins for swimming 
purposes, cascades, fountains, and miniature lakes, 
all rendered possible by means of this small, clear, 
deep river. The neglected place is sadly suggestive 
of decay, with its moss-covered paths, tangled under- 
growth, and untrimmed foliage. Nothing, however, 
can mar the glory of the grand immemorial palms. 
The town of Tulipan, in which is the Bishop's 
Garden, is formed of neat and pleasant residences of 
citizens desiring to escape the bustle and closeness of 
the city. The houses are half European or American 
in their architecture, modified to suit the climate. 
Here the American Consul-General has a delightfully 
chosen home, surrounded by pleasant shade, and 
characterized by lofty, cool apartments ; with bright, 
snowy marble floors, plenty of space, and perfect 
ventilation. Mr. Williams is a gentleman unusually 
well fitted for the responsible position he fills, having 
been a resident of Cuba for many years, and speak- 
ing the language like a native. In his intensely 
patriotic sentiments he is a typical American. It is 
not out of place for us to acknowledge here our in- 



MINERAL SPRINGS, 183 

debtedness to him for much important information 
relating to the island. 

The most celebrated mineral springs in Cuba are 
to be found at San Diego, where there are hot 
sulphur waters, springs bubbling ceaselessly from the 
earth, and for which great virtues are claimed. 
The springs are situated west of Havana, between 
thirty and forty leagues, at the base of the southern 
slope of the mountains. These waters are freely 
drank, as well as bathed in, and are highly charged 
with sulphureted hydrogen, and contain sulphate of 
lime and carbonate of magnesia. There are some 
diseases of women for which the San Diego waters 
are considered to be a specific, and remarkable cures 
are authenticated. Rheumatism and skin diseases 
are specially treated by the local physician. There 
is a very fair hotel at San Diego, located near the 
baths, and many Americans speak warmly in praise 
of the place as a health resort. 

Next to the springs of San Diego, those of Ma- 
druga are notable, situated between Matanzas and 
Havana, and which can be reached by rail. The 
character of these springs is very similar to those of 
San Diego, though of lower temperature. They are 
used both for bathing and for drinking. Madruga is 
more easily accessible from the metropolis than is 
San Diego. There is also a good physician resident 
in the village. 



CHAPTER X. 

The Fish-Market of Havana. — The Dying Dolphin. — Tax upon the 
Trade. — Extraordinary Monopoly. — Harbor Boats. — A Story 
about Marti, the Ex-Smuggler. — King of the Isle of Pines. — The 
Offered Reward. — Sentinels in the Plaza de Armas. — The Gov- 
ernor General and the Intruder. — "I am Captain Marti ! " — The 
Betrayal. — The Ex-Smuggler as Pilot. — The Pardon and the 
Reward. — Tacon's Stewardship and Official Career. — Monopoly 
of Theatricals. — A Negro Festival. 

The fish-market of Havana doubtless affords the 
best variety and quality of this article to be found 
in any city of the world, not even excepting Madras 
and Bombay, where the Indian Ocean and the Bay of 
Bengal enter into rivalry with each other as to their 
products. The scientist Poey gives a list of six hun- 
dred species of fishes indigenous to the shores of 
Cuba. The supply of the city is not only procured 
from the neighboring waters, but fishermen come 
regularly a distance of over a hundred miles to the 
ports of the island, from Florida and Yucatan, with 
their small cutters well loaded. It was through the 
means afforded by these fishing crafts that commu- 
nication was kept up between the Cuban patriots at 
Key West and their friends on the island, and no 
doubt smuggling was also carried on by them, until 
they came under the strict surveillance of the reve- 
nue officers. 

The long marble counter of the Marti fish-market, 
at the end of Mercaderes Street, affords a display of 
the finny tribe which we have never seen equaled 



THE DYING DOLPHIN. 185 

elsewhere. Every hue and combination of iris col- 
ors is represented, while the variety and oddity of 
shapes is ludicrous. Even fishing on the coast and 
the sale of the article are virtually government monop- 
olies ; indeed, everything is taxed and double taxed 
in Cuba; the air one breathes would be, could it be 
measured. Fish are brought into this market, as at 
many other tropical ports, alive, being preserved in 
wells of salt water which also act as ballast for the 
fishing vessels. One morning, among others brought 
to the Marti market a dolphin was observed, but as 
it is not a fish much used for the table why it came 
hither was not so clear to us. Being curious as to 
the accuracy of the poetical simile of changiug colors 
which characterize its dying hours, the just landed 
dolphin was closely watched. The varying and mul- 
tiform hues were clearly exhibited by the expiring 
fish. First its skin presented a golden shade, as if 
reflecting the sun, this changing gradually into a 
light purple. Presently the body became silvery 
white, followed slowly by alternating hues of pearl 
and yellow, and finally death left it of a dull, lustre- 
less gray. 

The market is about two hundred feet long, with 
one broad marble table extending from end to end. 
The roof is supported by a series of arches resting 
upon pillars. One side is entirely open to the street, 
thus insuring good ventilation. It is not far from 
the cathedral, and in the vicinity of the shore, but is 
in some measure superseded by the large central Mer- 
cado de Tacon in the Calzada de la Reina, one block 
from the Campo de Marte. In this latter market 
we saw shark's flesh sold for food and freely bought 
by the negroes and Chinese coolies. 



186 DUE SOUTH. 

The monopoly granted in Tacon's time to the fa- 
mous smuggler whose name the fish-market on Mer- 
caderes Street still bears has reverted to the govern- 
ment, which requires every fisherman, like every 
cab driver, to pay a heavy tax for the privilege of 
following his calling. The boatman who pulls an 
oar in the harbor for hire is obliged to pay the 
government for the simple privilege. A writer in a 
popular magazine lately compared these harbor boats 
of Havana to Venetian gondolas, but even poetical 
license will not admit of this. They do, however, 
almost precisely resemble the thousand and one boats 
which besprinkle the Pearl River at Canton, being of 
the same shape, and covered in the stern by a simi- 
lar arched frame and canvas, the Chinese substitut- 
ing for this latter the universal matting. The Ha- 
vana boatmen have so long suffered from the extortion 
of the Spanish officials that they have learned the 
trick of it, and practice the same upon travelers who 
make no bargain with them before entering their 
tiny vessels. 

The fish monopoly referred to was established 
under the governorship of Tacon, and is of peculiar 
origin. We cannot do better, perhaps, by way of 
illustrating his arbitrary rule, than to relate for the 
reader's benefit the story of its inauguration and en- 
forcement. 

One of the most successful rogues whose history 
is connected with that of modern Cuba was one Marti, 
who during his life was a prominent individual upon 
a limited stage of action. He first became known as 
a notorious and successful smuggler on the coast of 
the island, a daring and reckless leader of desperate 
men. At one time he bore the pretentious title of 



KING OF THE ISLE OF PINES. 187 

King of the Isle of Pines, where he maintained a 
fortified position, more secure in its inaccessibility 
than for any other reason. From hence Marti dis- 
patched his small fleet of cutters to operate between 
Key West and the southern coast of Cuba, sometimes 
extending his trips to Charleston, Savannah, and 
even to New Orleans. With the duty at ten dollars 
a barrel on American flour legitimately imported 
into the island, it was a paying business to smuggle 
even that prosaic but necessary article from one coun- 
try to the other, and to transport it inland for con- 
sumption. By this business Marti is said to have 
amassed a large amount of money. He is described 
as having been a tall, dark man of mixed descent, 
Spanish, Creole, and mulatto. His great physical 
strength and brute courage are supposed to have 
given him precedence among his associates, added to 
which he possessed a large share of native shrewd- 
ness, cunning, and business tact. His masquerading 
capacity, if we may believe the current stories told of 
him, was very remarkable, enabling him to assume 
almost any disguise and to effectually carry it out, so 
as to go safely among his enemies or the government 
officials and gain whatever intelligence he desired. 
Little authentic information can be had of such a 
man, and one depends upon common report only in 
making up a sketch of his career ; but he is known to 
have been one of the last of the Caribbean rovers, 
finally turning his attention to smuggling as being 
both the safer and more profitable occupation. The 
southern coast of Cuba is so formed as to be pecul- 
iarly adapted to the business of the contrabandists, 
who even to-day carry on this adventurous game with 
more or less impunity, being stimulated by the ex- 



188 DUE SOUTH. 

cessive and unreasonable excise duties imposed upon 
the necessities of life. 

When Tacon first arrived in the colony he found 
the revenue laws in a very lax condition. Smug- 
gling was connived at by the venal authorities, and 
the laws, which were so stringent in the letter, were 
practically null and void. It is said that Marti could 
land a contraband cargo, at that time, on the Regla 
side of Havana harbor in broad daylight without fear 
of molestation. The internal affairs of the island were 
also in a most confused condition ; assassinations even 
in the streets of Havana were frequent, and brigan- 
dage was carried on in the near environs of the city. 
The Governor seemed actuated by a determination to 
reform these outrages, and set himself seriously about 
the business. He found that the Spanish vessels of 
the navy sent hither to sustain the laws lay idly in 
port, the officers passing their time in search of 
amusement on shore, or in giving balls and dances on 
board their ships. Tacon saw that one of the very 
first moves essential to be made was to suppress the 
wholesale system of smuggling upon the coast. The 
heretofore idle navy became infused with life and was 
promptly detailed upon this service, coasting night 
and day along the shore from Cape Antonio to the 
Point of Maysi, but to little or no good effect. A few 
captures were made, but the result was only to cause a 
greater degree of caution on the part of the contra- 
bandists. In vain were all the measures taken by the 
officials. The smuggling was as successful as ever, 
and the law was completely defied. At last, finding 
that his expeditions against the outlaws failed, partly 
from their adroitness and bravery and partly from 
want of pilots capable of guiding attacking parties 



THE SMUGGLERS. 189 

among the shoals frequented by the smugglers, a 
large and tempting reward in gold was offered to any 
one of them who would desert his comrades and act as 
pilot to the King's ships. At the same time a double 
reward was offered for the person of Marti, dead or 
alive, as he was known to be the leader of the desper- 
ate men who so successfully defied the authorities. 
These offers were fully promulgated, and care was 
taken that those who were most interested should be 
made aware of their purport. But the hoped-for re- 
sult did not ensue. There was either too much honor 
among the guilty characters to whom the bribe was 
offered to permit them to betray each other, or they 
feared the condign punishment which was the portion 
of all traitors among them. The government had 
done its best, but had failed to accomplish its object. 
It was a dark, cloudy night in Havana, some three 
or four months subsequent to the offering of the re- 
wards to which we have referred. Two sentinels 
were pacing back and forth before the main entrance 
of the Governor's palace which forms one side of the 
area inclosing the Plaza de Armas. The military 
band had performed as usual that evening in the 
Plaza and had retired. The public, after enjoying the 
music, had partaken of their ices and favorite drinks 
at La Domenica's and found their way to their homes. 
The square was now very quiet, the stillness only 
broken by the music of the fountain mingled with the 
tread of the two sentinels. The stars looked calmly 
down from between the rifts of hanging clouds which 
crowded one another onward as though bound to some 
important rendezvous, where they were to per- 
form their part in a pending storm. A little before 
midnight a tall figure, wrapped in a half military 



190 DUE SOUTH. 

cloak, might have been observed watching the two 
guards from behind the marble statue of Ferdinand. 
After observing that they paced their apportioned 
walk, meeting each other face to face, and then sepa- 
rated, leaving a brief moment when the eyes of both 
were turned away from the entrance they were placed 
to guard, the stranger seemed to calculate the chances 
of passing them without being discovered. It was an 
exceedingly delicate manoeuvre, requiring great care 
and dexterity. Watching for the favorable moment 
the purpose was, however, accomplished ; the tall man 
in the cloak at a bound passed within the portal and 
quickly secreted himself in the shadows of the inner 
court. The sentinels paced on undisturbed. 

The individual who had thus stealthily effected an 
entrance within the gates of the palace now sought 
the broad marble steps which led to the Governor's 
business suite of rooms, with a confidence that 
evinced a perfect knowledge of the place. A second 
sentinel was to be passed at the head of the stairs, 
but, assuming an air of authority, the stranger gave a 
formal military salute and passed quickly forward as 
though there was not the least question as to his right 
to do so. The drowsy guard promptly presented 
arms, doubtless mistaking him for some regular offi- 
cer of the Governor's staff. The stranger boldly en- 
tered the Governor's reception-room and closed the 
door behind him. In a large chair sat the comman- 
der-in-chief before a broad table, engaged in writing, 
but he was quite alone. An expression of undis- 
guised satisfaction passed across the weather-beaten 
countenance of the new-comer at this state of affairs, 
as he coolly cast off his cloak, tossed it carelessly over 
his arm, and proceeded to wipe the perspiration from 



THE MIDNIGHT VISITOR. 191 

his face. The Governor, looking up with surprise and 
fixing his keen eyes upon the intruder, asked peremp- 
torily : — 

" Who enters here unannounced and at this hour ? " 

" One who has important information to impart to 
the government," was the quiet reply. 

" But why seek this manner of audience ? " 

" For reasons, Excellency, that will soon appear." 

" How did you pass the guard unchallenged ? " 

"Do not mind that for the present, Excellency." 

"But I do mind it very seriously." 

" It can be explained by and by." 

"Very well," said the Governor, "speak quickly 
then. What is your business here ? " 

" Excellency, you have publicly offered a handsome 
reward for any information concerning the contraban- 
dists," continued the stranger. "Is it not so ? " 

"Ha!" said the Governor, "is that your errand 
here? What have you to say about those outlaws? 
Speak, speak quickly." 

" Excellency, I must do so with caution," said the 
stranger, " otherwise I may condemn myself by what 
I have to communicate." 

" Not so," interrupted Tacon, " the offer " — 

" I know, Excellency, a free pardon is promised to 
him who shall turn state's evidence, but there may be 
circumstances " — 

" The offer is unconditional, as it regards pardon." 

" True, but "— 

" I say you have naught to fear," continued Tacon ; 
" the offered reward involves unconditional pardon to 
the informant." 

"You offer an additional reward, Excellency, for 
the discovery of the leader of the contrabandists, Cap- 
tain Marti." 



192 DUE SOUTH. 

"Ay." 

"It is a full revelation I have come hither to 
make." 

"Speak, then." 

" First, Excellency, will you give me your knightly 
word that you will grant a free pardon to me, a 
personal pardon, if I reveal all that you require ? " 

"I pledge you my word of honor," replied the 
Governor. 

"No matter how heinous in the eyes of the law 
my offenses may have been, still you will pardon me 
under the King's seal ? " 

" Why all this reiteration ? " asked Tacon impa- 
tiently. 

" Excellency, it is necessary," was the reply. 

" I will do so, if you reveal truly and to any good 
purpose," answered the Governor, weighing care- 
fully in his mind the purpose of all this precaution. 

"Even if I were a leader among these men?" 

The Governor hesitated but for a single moment, 
while he gave the man before him a searching glance, 
then said : — 

"Even then, be you whom you may, if you are 
able and willing to pilot our ships and reveal the 
rendezvous of Marti and his followers, you shall be 
rewarded and pardoned according to the published 
card." 

" Excellency, I think that I know your character 
well enough to fully trust these words, else I should 
not have ventured here." 

" Speak, then, and without further delay. My time 
is precious," continued the Governor with manifest 
impatience, and half rising from his seat. 

" It is well. I will speak without further parley. 



CAPTAIN MARTI. 193 

The man for whom you have offered the largest re- 
ward — ay, dead or alive — is before you ! " 

" And you are " — 

"Captain Marti!" 

Tacon had not expected this, but supposed himself 
talking to some lieutenant of the famous outlaw, and 
though no coward he instinctively cast his eyes to- 
wards a brace of pistols that lay within reach of his 
right hand. This was but for a moment; yet the 
motion was not unobserved by his visitor, who, step- 
ping forward, drew a couple of similar weapons from 
his own person and laid them quietly on the table, 
saying : — 

" I have no further use for these ; it is to be diplo- 
macy for the future, not fighting." 

" That is well," responded the Governor ; and after 
a few moments of thought he continued: "I shall 
keep my promise, be assured of that, provided you 
faithfully perform your part, notwithstanding the 
law demands your immediate punishment. For good 
reasons, as well as to secure your faithfulness, you 
must remain under guard," he added. 

" I have anticipated that, and am prepared," was 
the reply. 

" We understand each other then." 

Saying which he rang a small silver bell by his 
side, and issued a verbal order to the attendant who 
responded. In a few moments after, the officer of 
the watch entered, and Marti was placed in confine- 
ment, with directions to render him as comfortable as 
possible under the circumstances. His name was 
withheld from the officers. 

Left alone, the Governor mused for a few moments 
thoughtfully over the scene which we have described, 

13 



194 DUE SOUTH. 

then, summoning the officer of the guard, demanded 
that the three sentinels on duty should be relieved 
and brought tit once before him. What transpired 
between them was not made public, but it was known 
on the following day that they had been condemned 
to the chain-gang for a whole month. Military law 
is rigid. 

On the subsequent day, one of the light-draught 
corvettes which lay under the guns of Moro Castle 
suddenly became the scene of the utmost activity, 
and before noon had weighed anchor and was stand- 
ing out of the harbor. Captain Marti was on board 
acting as pilot, and faithfully did he guide the gov- 
ernment ship in the discharge of her errand among 
the bays and shoals of the southern coast. For more 
than a month he was engaged in this piloting to all 
the secret haunts and storage places of the contra- 
bandists, but it was observed that very few stores 
were found in them ! On this famous expedition one 
or two small vessels were taken and destroyed in the 
bays of the Isle of Pines, but not one of the smug- 
glers was captured. Information of the approach of 
the would-be captors was always mysteriously con- 
veyed to them, and when a rendezvous was reached 
the occupants, it was found, had fled a few hours 
previously! The amount of property secured was 
very small, but still the organization which had so 
long and so successfully defied the government was 
broken up, and the smugglers' place of rendezvous 
became known. Marti returned with the ship to 
claim his reward. Tacon was well satisfied with the 
result and with the manner in which the ex-smuggler 
had fulfilled his agreement. The officials did not 
look very deeply into the business, and they believed 



MARTFS PROPOSITION. 195 

that Marti had really betrayed his former comrades. 
The Governor-General summoned him to his presence 
and said to Marti : — 

" As you have faithfully performed your part of 
our agreement, I am prepared to fulfill mine. In this 
package you will find a free and unconditional pardon 
for all your past offenses against the law. Mark the 
word past offenses," reiterated the Governor. u Any 
new disloyalty on your part shall be as promptly and 
rigorously treated as though these late services had 
never been rendered. And here is an order upon the 
treasury for the sum " — 

" Excellency, excuse me," said the pardoned smug- 
gler, stepping back, and holding up his hand in sig- 
nificance of declining the reward. 

"What does this mean?" asked Tacon. 

" Permit me to explain, Excellency." 

" What, more conditions ? " asked the Governor. 

" The pardon, Excellency, I gladly receive," con- 
tinued Marti. " As to the sum of money you propose 
to give me, let me make you a proposal." 

" Speak out. Let us know what it is." 

" The treasury is poor," said the ex-smuggler, " I 
am rich. Retain the money, and in place of it guar- 
antee me alone the right to fish on the coast of Cuba, 
and declare the business of supplying the people with 
fish contraband, except to me and my agents. This 
will amply compensate me, and I will erect a public 
market at my own expense, which shall be an orna- 
ment to the city, and which at the expiration of 
twenty-five years shall revert to the government." 

" So singular a proposition requires to be consid- 
ered," said the Governor. 

" In the mean time I will await your commands," 
said Marti, preparing to leave. 



196 DUE SOUTH. 

" Stay," said the Governor. " I like your proposal, 
and shall probably accede to it ; but I will take a 
day to give it careful thought." 

As Tacon said, he was pleased with the idea from 
the outset. He saw that he was dealing with a thor- 
ough man of business. He remembered that he 
should always have the man under his control, and 
so the proposal was finally accepted and confirmed. 

The ci-devant smuggler at once assumed all the 
rights which this extraordinary grant gave to him. 
Seeking his former comrades, they were all employed 
by Marti on profitable terms as fishermen, and real- 
ized an immunity from danger not to be expected in 
their old business. Having in his roving life learned 
where to seek fish in the largest quantities, he fur- 
nished the city bountifully with the article, and 
reaped a large annual profit, until the period expired 
for which the monopoly was granted, and the market 
reverted to the government. 

Marti, in the mean time, possessing great wealth, 
looked about him to see in what enterprise he could 
best invest it. The idea struck him that if he could 
obtain some such agreement relating to theatricals in 
Havana as he had enjoyed in connection with the 
fishery on the coast, he could make a profitable 
business of it. He was granted the privilege he 
sought, provided he should build one of the largest 
and best appointed theatres in the world on the 
Paseo, and name it the Tacon Theatre. This agree- 
ment he fulfilled. The detailed conditions of this 
monopoly were never made public. 

Many romantic stories are told relating to Captain 
Marti, but these are the only ones bearing upon the 
subject of our present work which are believed to be 
authentic. 



TACON' S CHARACTER. 197 

Of all the Governors-General who have occupied 
that position in Cuba, none are better known at home 
or abroad than Tacon, though he filled the post but 
four years, having been appointed in 1834, and re- 
turning to Spain in 1838. His reputation at Havana 
is of a somewhat doubtful character, for although he 
followed out with energy the various improvements 
suggested by Arranjo, yet his modes of procedure were 
often so violent that he was an object of terror to the 
people generally rather than one of gratitude. It 
must be admitted that he vastly improved the ap- 
pearance of the capital and its vicinity, built a new 
prison, rebuilt the Governor's palace, constructed 
several new roads in the environs, including the 
Paseo bearing his name, and opened a large parade- 
ground just outside the old city walls, thus laying the 
foundation of the new city which has sprung up in 
the formerly desolate neighborhood of the Campo de 
Marte. Tacon also practically suppressed the public 
gaming-houses, but this radical effort to check an in- 
herent vice only resulted in transferring the gambling- 
tables of the private houses devoted to the purpose 
into the public restaurants, which was not much of 
an improvement. 

In one important matter he was more successful ; 
namely, in instituting a system of police, and render- 
ing the streets of Havana, which were formerly 
infested with robbers, as secure as those of most of 
our American cities. But his reforms were all con- 
summated with a rude, arbitrary arm, and in a 
military fashion. Life or property were counted by 
him of little value, if either required to be sacrificed 
for his purpose. Many people fell before his relent- 
less orders. There was undoubtedly much of right 



198 DUE SOUTH. 

mingled with his wrongs, but if he left lasting monu- 
ments of energy and skill behind him, he also left 
many tombs filled by his victims. Notwithstanding 
all, there seemed to be throughout his notable career 
a sort of romantic spirit of justice — wild justice — 
prompting him. Some of the stories still current re- 
lating to him go far to show this to have been the 
case, while others exhibit the possibilities of arbitrary 
power, as exercised in the contract with Captain 
Marti. 

On January 6th, the day of Epiphany, the negroes 
of Havana, as well as in the other cities of the island, 
make a grand public demonstration; indeed, the occa- 
sion may be said to be given up to them as a holiday 
for their race. They march about the principal streets 
in bands, each with its leader got up like a tambour 
major, and accompanied by rude African drum notes 
and songs. They are dressed in the most fantastic 
and barbarous disguises, some wearing cow's horns, 
others masks representing the heads of wild beasts, 
and some are seen prancing on dummy horses. All 
wear the most gorgeous colors, and go from point to 
point on the plazas and paseos, asking for donations 
from every one they meet. It is customary to respond 
to these demands in a moderate way, and the greatest 
reasonable latitude is given to the blacks on the 
occasion; reminding one of a well-manned ship at 
sea in a dead calm, before the days of steam, when 
all hands were piped to mischief. But what it all 
means except improving a special occasion for whole- 
sale noise, grotesque parading, and organized begging, 
it will puzzle the stranger to make out. Among the 
colored performers there is but a small proportion 
of native Africans, that is, negroes actually imported 



ISLE OF PINES. 199 

into Cuba; most of them are direct descendants, how- 
ever, from parents who were brought from the slave 
coast, but it must be remembered that none have been 
imported for about thirty years. 

The Isle of Pines, which has been more than once 
alluded to in these notes, is situated less than forty 
miles south of Cuba, being under the jurisdiction of 
the Governor-General of Havana. It is forty-four 
miles long and nearly as wide, having an area of be- 
tween twelve and thirteen hundred square miles. It 
is supposed that there are about two thousand in- 
habitants, though Spanish statistics are not to be 
relied upon. Like Cuba, it has a mountain range 
traversing the middle for its whole length, but the 
highest portion does not reach quite two thousand 
feet. The island has several rivers and is well watered 
by springs. The climate is pronounced to be even 
more salubrious than that of Cuba, while the soil is 
marvelously fertile. An English physician, who, 
with a patient, passed a winter at Nueva Gerona, 
which has a population of only a hundred souls, says 
the climate is remarkably bland and equable, es- 
pecially adapted for pulmonary invalids. The coast 
is deeply indented by bays, some of which afford good 
anchorage, though the island is surrounded by in- 
numerable rocky islets or keys. The Isle of Pines is 
very nearly in the same condition in which Columbus 
found it in 1494, containing a large amount of precious 
woods, and some valuable mines of silver, iron, sulphur, 
quicksilver, and quarries of beautifully variegated 
marble. It is reached by special steamers from 
Havana, not oftener than once a month. 



CHAPTER XL 

The Havana Lottery. — Its Influence. — Hospitality of the Cubans. 

— About Bonnets. — The Creole Lady's Face. — Love of Flowers. 

— An Atmospheric Narcotic. — The Treacherous Indian Fig. — 
How the Cocoanut is propagated. — Cost of Living in Cuba. — 
Spurious Liquors. — A Pleasant Health Resort. — The Cock-Pit. 

— Game-Birds. — Their Management. — A Cuban Cock-Fight. — 
Garden of the World. — About Birds. — Stewed Owl ! — Slaughter 
of the Innocents. — The Various Fruits. 

There is a regularly organized lottery in Havana, 
to which the government lends its name, and which 
has semi-monthly drawings. These drawings are made 
in public, and great care is taken to impress the peo- 
ple with the idea of their entire fairness. The author- 
ities realize over a million dollars annually by the 
tax which is paid into the treasury on these most 
questionable enterprises. The lottery is patronized 
by high and low, the best mercantile houses devoting 
a regular sum monthly to the purchase of tickets on 
behalf of their firms. One individual of this class 
told the writer that no drawing had taken place 
within the last ten years at Havana in which the 
firm of which he was a member had not been inter- 
ested to the extent of at least one doubloon, that is, 
one whole ticket. The mode usually is, however, to 
purchase several fractional parts of tickets, so as to 
multiply the chances. On being asked what was the 
result of the ten years of speculation in this line, the 
reply was that the books of the firm would show, as 
it was entered therein like any other line of purchases. 



ROYAL HAVANA LOTTERY. 201 

Curious to find an authentic instance as an example, 
the matter was followed up until the result was found. 
It seemed that this house had averaged about four 
hundred dollars per annum expended for lottery- 
tickets, that is, four thousand dollars in the last ten 
years. On the credit side they had received in prizes 
about nineteen hundred dollars, making a loss of 
twenty-one hundred dollars. " But then," remarked 
our informant, " we may get a big prize one of these 
days, — who knows ? " 

The lottery here proves to be as great a curse as it 
does in Italy, where its demoralizing effects are more 
apparent. The poorer classes, even including the 
slaves and free negroes, are regular purchasers, and 
occasionally a prize is realized among them, which 
stimulates to increased ventures. A few years since, 
some slaves upen a plantation near Alquizar pur- 
chased a single ticket, clubbing together in order to 
raise the money. These Africans drew a prize of forty 
thousand dollars, which sum was honestly paid to 
them, and they purchased their freedom at once, divid- 
ing a very pretty amount for each as a capital to 
begin business on his own account. 

" And pray what became of those liberated men ? " 
we asked of our informant. " Singular to say I can 
tell you," he answered. " Others felt the same interest 
you express, and they have been followed in their 
subsequent career. There were sixteen of the party, 
who realized equal portions of the prize. They were 
valuable slaves, and paid an average of fifteen hun- 
dred dollars each for their free papers. This left 
them a thousand dollars each. Two returned to 
Africa. Four joined the insurgents at Santiago, in 
1870, and were probably shot. The remainder drank 



202 DUE SOUTH. 

themselves to death in Havana, or died by fevers in- 
duced through intemperate habits." " Did you ever 
know a man, white or black, who drew a prize of any 
large amount, who was not the worse for it after a 
short time ? " we asked. " Perhaps not," was his 
honest reply. A miserable creature came into the 
vestibule of the Telegrafo Hotel one day begging. 
After he had departed we were told that a few years 
ago he was possessed of a fortune. " Why is he in 
this condition ? " we asked. " He was engaged in a 
good business," said our informant, "drew a large 
prize in the lottery, sold out his establishment, and 
gave himself up to pleasure, gambling, and drink. 
That is all that is left of him now. He has just 
come out of the hospital, where he was treated for 
paralysis." 

Honestly conducted as these lott^jfcs are generally 
believed to be, their very stability and the just pay- 
ment of prizes but makes them the more baleful and 
dangerous in their influence upon the public. As car- 
ried on in Havana, the lottery business is the most 
wholesale mode of gambling ever witnessed. Though 
some poor man may become comparatively wealthy 
through their means, once in twenty years, yet in the 
mean time thousands are impoverished in their mad 
zeal to purchase tickets though it cost them the last 
dollar they possess. The government thus fosters a 
taste for gambling and supplies the ready means, 
while any one at all acquainted with the Spanish 
character must know that the populace need no 
prompting in a vice to which they seem to take intu- 
itively. No people, unless it be the Chinese, are so 
addicted to all games of chance upon which money 
can be staked. 



HOSPITALITY. 203 

Spaniards, and especially Cuban Spaniards, receive 
credit for being extremely hospitable, and to a cer- 
tain extent this is true ; but one soon learns to regard 
the extravagant manifestations which so often char- 
acterize their domestic etiquette as rather empty and 
heartless. Let a stranger enter the house of a Cuban 
for the first time, especially if he be a foreigner, and 
the host or hostess of the mansion at once places all 
things they possess at his service, yet no one thinks 
for a single moment of interpreting this offer liter- 
ally. The family vehicle is at your order, or the 
loan of a saddle horse, and in such small kindnesses 
they are always generous ; but when they beg you to 
accept a ring, a book, or a valuable toy, because you 
have been liberal in your praise of the article, you 
are by no means to do so. Another trait of character 
which suggests itself in this connection is the univer- 
sal habit of profuse compliment common among Cu- 
ban ladies. Flattery is a base coin at best, but it is 
current here. The ladies listen to these compliments 
as a matter of course from their own countrymen or 
such Frenchmen as have settled among them, but if 
an American takes occasion to express his honest 
admiration to a Creole, her delight is at once mani- 
fest. Both the French and Spanish are extremely 
gallant to the gentler sex, but it requires no argu- 
ment to show that woman under either nationality is 
far less esteemed and honored than she is with us in 
America. 

The bonnet, which forms so important a part of 
a lady's costume in Europe and America, is rarely 
worn by the Creoles, and strangers who appear on the 
streets of Havana with the latest fashion of this ever 
varying article are regarded with curiosity, though so 



204 due south. 

many American and English ladies visit the island 
annually. In place of a bonnet, when any covering 
is considered desirable for the head, the Cuban ladies 
generally wear a long black veil, richly wrought, and 
gathered at the back of the head upon the clustered 
braid of hair, which is always black and luxuriant. 
More frequently, however, even this appendage is not 
seen, and they drive in the Paseo or through the 
streets with their heads entirely uncovered, save by 
the sheltering hood of the victoria. When neces- 
sity calls them abroad in the early or middle hours 
of the day, there is generally a canvas screen but- 
toned to the dasher and extended to the top of the 
calash, to shut out the too ardent rays of the sun. 
Full dress, on all state occasions, is black, but white is 
universally worn by the ladies in domestic life, form- 
ing a rich contrast to the olive complexions of the 
women. Sometimes in the Paseo, when enjoying the 
evening drive, these fair creatures indulge in strange 
contrasts of colors in dress. They also freety make 
use of a cosmetic called cascarilla, made from egg- 
shells finely powdered and mixed with the white of 
the egg. This forms an adhesive paste, with which 
they at times enamel themselves, so that faces and 
necks that are naturally dark resemble those of per- 
sons who are white as pearls. 

There is one indispensable article, without which a 
Cuban lady would feel herself absolutely lost. The 
fan is a positive necessity to her, and she learns its 
coquettish and graceful use from childhood. Formed 
of various rich materials, it glitters in her tiny hand 
like a gaudy butterfly, now half, now wholly shading 
her radiant face, which quickly peeps out again from 
behind its shelter, like the moon from out a passing 



NATURE'S PRODIGALITY. 205 

cloud. This little article, always costly, sometimes 
very expensive, in her hand seems in its eloquence of 
motion almost to speak. She has a witching flirt 
with it that expresses scorn ; a graceful wave of com- 
placence ; an abrupt closing of it that indicates vexa- 
tion or anger ; a gradual and cautious opening of its 
folds that signifies reluctant forgiveness ; in short, the 
language of the fan in the hand of a Cuban lady is a 
wonderfully adroit and expressive pantomime that 
requires no interpreter, for, like the Chinese written 
language, it cannot be spoken. 

It may be the prodigality of nature in respect to 
Flora's kingdom which has retarded the development 
of a love for flowers among the people of the island. 
Doubtless if Marechal Niel roses, Jacqueminots, jon- 
quils, and lilies of the valley were as abundant with 
us in every field as clover, dandelions, and butter- 
cups, we should hardly regard them with so much de- 
light as we do. It is not common to see flowers under 
cultivation as they are at the North. They spring up 
too readily in a wild state from the fertile soil. One 
cannot pass over half a league on an inland road with- 
out his senses being regaled and delighted by the 
natural floral fragrance, heliotrope, honeysuckle, sweet 
pea, and orange blossoms predominating. The jas- 
mine and Cape rose, though less fragrant, are delight- 
ful to the eye, and cluster everywhere among the 
hedges, groves, and coffee estates. There is a blos- 
soming shrub, the native name of which we do not 
remember, but which is remarkable for its multitu- 
dinous crimson flowers, so seductive to the humming- 
birds that they hover about it all day long, burying 
themselves in its blossoms until petal and wing seem 
one. At first upright, a little later the gorgeous 



206 DUE SOUTH. 

bells droop downward and fall to the ground un with- 
ered, being poetically called Cupid's tears. Flowers 
abound here which are only known to us in our hot- 
houses, whose brilliant colors, like those of the cac- 
tus, scarlet, yellow, and blue, are quite in harmony 
with the surroundings, where everything is aglow. 
There was pointed out to us a specimen of the frangi- 
panni, a tall and nearly leafless plant bearing a milk- 
white flower, and resembling the tuberose in fra- 
grance, but in form much like our Cherokee rose. 
This plant, it will be remembered, was so abundant 
and so pleasant to the senses as to attract the atten- 
tion of the early explorers who accompanied Colum- 
bus across the sea. 

There seems to be at times a strange narcotic influ- 
ence in the atmosphere of the island, realized more 
especially inland, where the visitor is partially re- 
moved from the winds which commonly blow from 
the Gulf in the after part of the day. So potent has 
the writer felt this influence that at first it was sup- 
posed to be the effect of some powerful and medicinal 
plant abounding in the neighborhood ; but on inquiry 
it was found that this delightful sense of ease and 
indolent luxuriousness was not an unusual experience, 
particularly among strangers, and was solely attribu- 
table to the narcotic of the soft climate. By gently 
yielding to this influence one seemed to dream while 
awake, and though the sense of hearing is diminished, 
that of the olfactories appears to be increased, and 
pleasant odors float on every passing breeze. One 
feels at peace with all human nature, and a sense of 
voluptuous ease overspreads the body. Others have 
experienced and remarked upon this sensation of idle 
happiness. The only unpleasant realizing sense dur- 



INDIAN FIG— COCO ANUT. 207 

ing the enjoyment of this condition is the fear that 
some human voice, or some chance noise, loud and 
abrupt, may arouse the dreamer from his trance. 

Specimens of the Indian fig, as it is called here, 
will be sure to attract the visitor's eye on his inland 
excursions. It clasps, entwines, and finally, serpent- 
like, kills the loftiest forest monarchs, and taking 
their place, firmly roots itself and becomes a stately 
tree, fattening upon its ill-gotten possession. Its un- 
fading leaf of vivid green is beautiful to look upon, 
in spite of its known and treacherous character. In 
many respects it typifies the Spanish discoverers of 
this beautiful isle, who gradually possessed themselves 
of its glorious heritage by the destruction of its le- 
gitimate owners. 

The manner in which that prolific tree, the cocoa- 
nut palm, is propagated was a curious and interesting 
study for a leisure hour, the germination having been 
with us heretofore an unsolved riddle. Within the 
hard shell of the nut, among the mass of rich creamy* 
substance, near the large end, is a small white lump 
like the stalk of a young mushroom, called the 
ovule. This little finger-like germ of the future tree 
gradually forces itself through one of the three eyes 
always to be found on the cocoanut. What giant 
power is concealed within that tiny ovule, apparently 
so soft and insignificant ! Having pierced its way 
through the first shell, it then gradually rends the 
outer coat of fibrous covering and curves upward to- 
wards the light. Into the inner shell which it has 
vacated, it throws little fibrous threads which slowly 
absorb the albumen, and thus sustain its new life as 
it rapidly develops. First a few leaves grow upward, 
which from the very outset begin to assume the pin- 



208 DUE SOUTH, 

nate form of the cocoanut leaf, while, stretching earth- 
ward, a myriad of little threads of roots bury them- 
selves in the ground. Though the tree will grow to 
a height of sixty feet or more, these roots will never 
individually exceed the size of the fingers on one's 
hand. In five or six years the tree will produce its 
first cluster of cocoanuts, and for several years will 
go on increasing in fruitf ulness and yielding a bounti- 
ful crop for fifty or sixty years. It was a constant 
wonder how these cocoanut trees could sustain an up- 
right position with such a weight of ripening fruit 
clustered beneath the shade of their tufted tops. 

As regards the cost of living in the island, it may 
be said to average higher to the stranger than in the 
United States. At the city hotels and large board- 
ing houses the charge is modified from four or five 
dollars per day ; if a special bargain is made for a 
considerable period, it is customary to give a reduc- 
tion on transient rates of ten or fifteen per cent. 
Among the small towns in the interior, at the houses 
of entertainment, which are wretchedly poor as a rule, 
the charges are exorbitant, and strangers are looked 
upon as fair game. This, however, is no more so 
than in continental Europe, where, though the ac- 
commodations are better, the general treatment is the 
same. The luscious and healthful fruits of the coun- 
try form a large share of the provisions of the table 
in Cuba, and are always freely provided. A fair 
quality of claret wine, imported from Spain, is also 
regularly placed before the guest free of charge, it 
being the ordinary drink of the people ; but beware 
of calling for other wines, and particularly cham- 
pagne, unless you are prepared to be swindled by the 
price charged in your bill. Of course you get only 



GUINES. 209 

imitation champagne, — that is to be expected ; you 
do the same nearly everywhere. There is not enough 
pure champagne manufactured in Europe to supply 
the Paris and London markets alone. The mode of 
cooking is very similar to the French, plus the uni- 
versal garlic, which, like tobacco, appears to be a 
prime necessity to the average Spanish appetite. One 
does not visit Cuba, however, with the expectation of 
finding all the niceties of the table which are ordi- 
nary comforts at home, and therefore he is quite con- 
tent to enjoy the delightful fruits of the country, the 
novel scenery, the curious vegetation, and the capti- 
vating climate, which cannot fail to compensate for 
many small annoyances. 

One of the most pleasant and healthful resorts for 
a temporary home on the island is probably the 
small but thrifty town of Guines, situated about 
forty-five miles from Havana, with which it is con- 
nected by rail ; indeed, this was the first railroad con- 
structed in Cuba, that between Matanzas and Havana 
being the second. Both were mainly the result of 
American enterprise and capital. There are now a 
little over nine hundred miles of railroad in opera- 
tion, and more is urgently demanded to open internal 
communication with important sections. The water 
communication along the southern and northern 
coasts is mostly depended upon, and a very well or- 
ganized system is sustained by three or four lines of 
domestic steamers. The immediate locality of Guines 
is thought to be one of the most salubrious and best 
for invalids on the western division of the island, and 
is largely resorted to by Americans. It has generally 
more of the comforts considered necessary for persons 
in delicate health than can readily be obtained in 
14 



210 DUE SOUTH. 

Havana, and one has here the quiet and retirement 
which it is impossible to find in the metropolis. 

Here will be seen, as in all towns large or small in 
Cuba, a curious place of amusement of circular form, 
called a "pit," where the natives indulge their na- 
tional passion for cock-fighting and gambling com- 
bined. It is astonishing how pugnacious and fierce 
these birds become by careful training ; the instinct 
must be in them or it could not be so developed. 
When brought together and opposed to each other in 
battle, one must die, and often both do so, for they 
will fight as long as they can stand on their feet. The 
pit is always crowded, and the amount of money 
which changes hands daily in this cruel mode of gam- 
bling is very considerable. Women not infrequently 
attend these contests, but only those of the pariah 
class, certain back seats being reserved for them, 
while here and there may be seen a shovel-hatted 
priest, as eager in the result as the professionals 
themselves. The cock-pit is a circular building, thirty 
or forty feet in diameter, resembling on the outside 
a huge haystack. The size, however, is regulated ac- 
cording to the population of the immediate neighbor- 
hood. The seats are raised in a circle, one above an- 
other, about a central ring in which the contest takes 
place. The ground is covered w?th sawdust or tan. 
The birds are of a native game breed, and are sub- 
ject from chickenhood to a peculiar course of treat- 
ment. The English game-cock is prized here only 
for crossing with the native breed. He cannot equal 
the Spanish bird in the necessary qualities of pluck 
and endurance. 

The food of the game-cock when in training is 
regulated with great care, carefully weighed, and a 



TRAINING GAME BIRDS. 211 

certain number of ounces is given to him three times 
a day, so that the bird, like a race-horse, is never 
permitted to grow fat, but is kept in what is called 
fighting condition. Some days before a contest they 
are fed with a few ounces of raw meat once during 
the twenty-four hours, which, being kept always a 
little hungiy, they devour with avidity. Greater 
care as to diet and exercise could not be taken by 
pugilists training for a conflict. The feathers of 
these fighting-cocks are closely cropped in a jaunty 
style; the neck and head, to the length of three 
inches, is completely plucked of all feathers, the comb 
being trimmed close to the crown. The flesh which 
is thus left bare is daily rubbed with rum until it be- 
comes hardened and calloused. Brief encounters are 
permitted among them under proper restrictions, 
when they are young. No fear is felt that they will 
seriously injure each other, until they are old enough 
to have the sharp steel gaffs affixed upon the spurs 
with which nature has supplied them. Then, like 
men armed with sword and dagger, they attack each 
other with fatal earnestness, making the blood flow 
at every stroke. It is singular that the birds are so 
determined upon the fight that no amount of loud 
cries, or challenges between the betters, or jeers by 
the excited audience, disturbs them in the least. 

The author witnessed one of these exhibitions at 
Guinea. The fighting-ring of the cock-pit was some 
twelve feet in diameter, the seating capacity being 
arranged for about a hundred persons or more, and 
each bench was fully occupied. The two birds pitted 
against each other were carefully weighed, and the 
result was announced to the audience. They were 
then passed in review, held in the hands of their re- 



212 DUE SOUTH. 

spective owners, and betting at once commenced as 
to which would win the victory. In the mean time 
the two birds seemed quietly awaiting their time, and 
by the knowing way in which both surveyed the 
surroundings and the assembled people, they really 
appeared as if they understood the business in band. 
There was no struggling on their part to get out of 
the hands of those who held them. Presently they 
were passed into the care of the umpires, two of 
whom officiated, and who then affixed the steel gaffs 
to the spurs of the contestants. The two birds 
were then placed on the ground inside of the ring, 
opposite each other. No sooner did they feel them- 
selves fairly on their feet than both crowed trium- 
phantly, eying each other with fell intent. 

Then commenced a series of bird-tactics, each par- 
tially advancing and pretending to retreat as if to 
draw on his antagonist, pecking the while at imagi- 
nary kernels of corn on the ground. In the mean time 
the audience almost held its breath in anticipation 
of the cunningly deferred onset. Presently the two 
birds, as if by one impulse, rushed towards each other, 
and a simultaneous attack took place. The contest, 
when the birds are armed with steel gaffs, rarely 
lasts more than eight or ten minutes before one or 
both are so injured as to end the fight. The money 
staked upon the fight is won by those backing the 
bird which survives, or is longest in dying. When 
the artificial spurs are not used, and the birds fight 
in their natural state, the battle sometimes lasts for 
an hour, but is always fatal in the end to one or 
the other, or both. Eyes are pecked out, wings and 
legs broken, necks pierced again and again ; still 
they fight on until death ensues. During the fight 



GARDEN OF THE WORLD. 213 

the excitement is intense, and a babel of voices 
reigns within the structure, the betting being loud, 
rapid, and high. Thus in a small way the cock-fight 
is as cruel and as demoralizing as that other national 
game, the terrible bull-fight, indigenous to Spain and 
her colonies. 

Cuba has justly been called the garden of the 
world, perpetual summer smiling upon its shores, and 
its natural wealth and possibilities baffling even the 
imagination. The waters which surround it, as we 
have seen, abound with a variety of fishes, whose 
bright colors, emulating the tints of precious stones 
and the prismatic hues of the rainbow, astonish and 
delight the eye of the stranger. Stately and peculiar 
trees enliven the picturesque landscape. Throughout 
the woods and groves flit a variety of birds, whose 
dazzling colors defy the palette of the artist. Here 
the loquacious parrot utters his harsh natural notes ; 
there the red flamingo watches by the shore of the 
lagoon, the waters dyed by the reflection of his scar- 
let plumage. It would require a volume to describe 
the vegetable and animal kingdom of Cuba, but 
among the most familiar birds are the golden robin, 
the bluebird, the catbird, the Spanish woodpecker, 
the gaudjr-plumed paroquet, and the pedoreva, with 
its red throat and breast and its pea-green head and 
body. There is also a great variety of wild pigeons, 
blue, gray, and white ; the English lady-bird, with a 
blue head, scarlet breast, and green and white back ; 
the indigo-bird, the golden-winged woodpecker, the 
ibis, and many smaller species, like the humming- 
bird. Of this latter family there are said to be sixty 
different varieties, each sufficiently individualized in 
size and other peculiarities to be easily identified by 



214 DUE SOUTH. 

ornithologists. Some of these birds are actually no 
larger in body than butterflies, and with not so large 
a spread of wing. A humming-bird's nest, composed 
of cotton interlaced with horse-hair, was shown the 
author at Buena Esperanza, a plantation near Guines. 
It was about twice the size of a lady's thimble, and 
contained two eggs, no larger than common peas. 
The nest was a marvel of perfection, the cotton being 
bound cunningly and securely together by the long 
horse-hairs, of which there were not more than three 
or four. Human fingers could not have done it so 
deftly. Probably the bird that built the nest and 
laid the eggs did not weigh, all fledged, over half an 
ounce ! Parrots settle on the sour orange trees when 
the fruit is ripe, and fifty may be secured by a net at 
a time. The Creoles stew and eat them as we do 
pigeons 5 the flesh is tough, and as there are plenty 
of fine water-fowl and marsh birds about the lagoons 
as easily procured, one is at a loss to account for the 
taste that leads to eating parrots. The brown pelican 
is seen in great numbers sailing lazily over the water 
and dipping for fish. 

Strange is the ubiquity of the crows ; one sees them 
in middle India, China, and Japan. They ravage our 
New England cornfields, and in Ceylon, — equatorial 
Ceylon, — they absolutely swarm When one, there- 
fore, finds them saucy, noisy, thieving, even in 
Cuba, it is not surprising that the fact should be re- 
marked upon, though here the species differs some- 
what from those referred to, being known as the 
Jack-crow or turkey-buzzard. In the far East, like 
the vulture, the crow is considered a natural scavenger 
or remover of carrion, and the same excuse is made for 
him in Cuba and Florida. But is he not more of a 



WEST INDIAN BIRDS. 215 

freebooter and feathered bandit, — in short, a prowl- 
ing thief generally ? Nature has few birds or animals 
upon her varied list with which we would find fault, 
but the crow, — well, having nothing to say in its fa- 
vor, let us drop the subject. Parrots, paroquets, tiny 
indigo birds, pedorevas, and robins, — yes, these are all 
in harmony with mingled fragrance and sunshine, but 
the coal-black crow, with his bad habits and hoarse 
bird-profanity, bah ! When these West Indian islands 
were first settled by Spanish emigrants, they were the 
home of myriads of birds of every tropical variety, 
but to-day the feathered beauties and merry song- 
sters have been entirely driven away from some of the 
smaller islands, and decimated on others, by the de- 
mand for bird's wings with which to deck ladies' bon- 
nets in Europe and America. Sportsmen have found 
it profitable to visit the tropics solely for the purpose 
of shooting these rainbow-colored creatures for orna- 
ments. Aside from the loss to general interest and 
beauty in nature caused by this wholesale destruc- 
tion of the feathered tribe, another and quite serious 
result has been the consequence. A plague of vermin 
has followed the withdrawal of these little insect- 
killers. It is so natural to look for them amid such 
luxuriant vegetation that they become conspicuous by 
their absence. Now and again, however, the ears are 
gratefully saluted by the trilling and sustained notes of 
some hidden songster, whose music is entirely in tune 
with the surrounding loveliness, but truly delightful 
song-birds have ever been rare in the low latitudes, 
where there is more of color than song. 

Those agriculturists who possess sufficient means 
confine themselves solely to the raising of sugar, coffee, 
and tobacco, the former principally employing capi- 



216 DUE SOUTH. 

tal. Indian corn, which the first settlers found indig- 
enous here, is quite neglected, and when raised at all 
it is used before ripening, almost universally, as green 
fodder ; very little is ripened and gathered as grain. 
It is found that horses and cattle can be kept in good 
condition and strength, while performing the usual 
labor required of them, by feeding them on a liberal 
allowance of cornstalks, given in the green state, be- 
fore the corn has begun to form on the cob. The Cu- 
bans will tell you that the nourishing principle which 
forms the grain is in the stalk and leaves, and if fed 
in that state before ripening further, the animals ob- 
tain all the sustaining properties which they require. 
The climate is particularly adapted to the raising of 
oranges, but there is very little attention given to 
propagating this universally popular fruit, more espe- 
cially since the increased production which has taken 
place on the other side of the Gulf Stream in Florida. 
Three years after the seed of this fruit is deposited in 
suitable soil in Cuba the tree becomes ten or twelve 
feet in height, and in the fourth year rarely produces 
less than a hundred oranges, while at ten years of 
age it commonly bears three and four thousand, thus 
proving, with proper care, extremely profitable. It 
will be remembered that it is the longest lived of suc- 
culent fruit trees. There are specimens still extant 
in Cuba known to be one hundred years old. The 
oranges produced in Florida are of equally good qual- 
ity, and bring a better price in the market, but the 
crop is subject to more contingencies and liability to 
loss than in Cuba. The frost not infrequently ruins 
a whole season's yield in the peninsula in one or two 
severe nights, while frost is never experienced upon 
the island. 



FERTILITY OF CUBA. 217 

It seems unreasonable that when the generous, 
fruitful soil of Cuba is capable of producing two or 
three crops of vegetables annually, the agricultural 
wealth of the island should be so poorly developed. 
Thousands upon thousands of acres of fertile soil are 
still in their virgin condition. It is capable of sup- 
porting a population of almost any density, — cer- 
tainly from eight to ten millions of people might find 
goodly homes here, and yet the largest estimate at the 
present time gives only a million and a half of inhab- 
itants. When one treads the fertile soil and beholds 
the clustering fruits in such abundance, the citron, 
the star-apple, the perfumed pineapple, the luscious 
banana, and other fruits for which our language has no 
name, not forgetting the various noble woods which 
caused Columbus to exclaim with pleasure, and to 
mention the palm and the pine growing together, 
characteristic types of Arctic and equatorial vegeta- 
tion, we are struck with the thought of how much 
Providence and how little man has done for this Eden 
of the Gulf. We long to see it peopled by men 
who can appreciate the gifts of nature, men who are 
willing to do their part in recognition of her fruitful- 
ness and who will second her spontaneous bounty. 

Nowhere on the face of the globe would well-di- 
rected, intelligent labor meet with a richer reward, 
nowhere would repose from labor be so sweet. The 
hour of rest here sinks upon the face of nature with 
a peculiar charm ; the night breeze, in never-failing 
regularity, comes with its gentle wing to fan the weary 
frame, and no danger lurks in its breath. It has free 
scope through the unglazed windows, and blowing 
fresh from the broad surface of the Mexican Gulf, it 
bears a goodly tonic to the system. Beautifully blue 



218 DUE SOUTH. 

are the heavens and festally bright the stars of a trop- 
ical night, where familiar constellations greet us with 
brighter radiance and new ones charm the eye with, 
their novelty. Preeminent in brilliancy among them 
is the Southern Cross, a galaxy of stars that never 
greets us in the North. At midnight its glitter- 
ing framework stands erect. That solemn hour past 
the Cross declines. How glorious the nights where 
such a heavenly sentinel indicates the watches ! 
" How often have we heard our guides exclaim in the 
savannas of Venezuela," says Humboldt, " or in the 
deserts extending from Lima to Truxillo, 4 Midnight 
is past, the Cross begins to bend.' " Cuba is indeed a 
land of enchantment, where nature is beautiful and 
bountiful, and where mere existence is a luxury, but 
it requires the infusion of a sterner, a more self-reli- 
ant, self-denying and enterprising race to test its 
capabilities and to astonish the world with its produc- 
tiveness. 



CHAPTER XI/ 

Traveling by Volante. — Want of Inland Communication. — Ameri- 
cans Profitable Customers. — The Cruel National Game. — The 
Plaza de Toros. — Description of a Bull-Fight. — The Infection of 
Cruelty. — The Romans and Spaniards Compared. — Cry of the 
Spanish Mob : "Bread and Bulls ! " — Women at the Fight. — The 
Nobility of the Island. — The Monteros. — Ignorance of the Com- 
mon People. — Scenes in the Central Market, Havana. — Odd 
Ideas of Cuban Beggars. — An Original Style of Dude. — A Men- 
dicant Prince. 

The volante, the national vehicle of Cuba, and 
until latterly the only one in common use upon the 
island, has been several times spoken of. It has 
been superseded, especially in Havana, just as steam 
launches are crowding out the gondolas on the canals 
of Venice. Our present notes would be quite incom- 
plete without a description of this unique vehicle. 
It is difficult without experience to form an idea of 
its extraordinary ease of motion, or its appropriate- 
ness to the peculiarities of the country roads, where 
only it is now in use. At first sight, with its shafts 
sixteen feet long, and wheels six yards in circum- 
ference, one would think that it must be very disa- 
greeable to ride in ; but the reverse is the fact, and 
when seated the motion is most agreeable, like being 
rocked in a cloud. It makes nothing of the deep 
ruts and inequalities upon the execrable roads, but 
sways gently its low-hung, chaise-like body, and 
dashes over and through every impediment with the 
utmost facility. Strange as it may seem, it is very 



220 DUE SOUTH. 

light upon the horse, which the postilion also be- 
strides. When traveling any distance, a second 
horse is added on the left, abreast of the first, and 
attached to the volante by an added whiffletree and 
traces. When there are two horses the postilion 
rides the one to the left, thus leaving the shaft-horse 
free of other weight than the vehicle. 

If the roads are very rough, which is their chronic 
condition, and there is more than usual weight to 
carry, a third horse is often added, and he is placed 
abreast with the others, to the right of the shaft 
horse, being guided by a bridle rein in the hands of 
the calisero, as he is called. Heretofore the wealthy 
people took great pride in these volantes, a purely 
Cuban idea, and they were ornamented for city use 
at great expense with silver trimmings, and some- 
times even in gold. A volante equipped in this style, 
with the gayly-dressecl negro postilion, his scarlet 
jacket elaborately trimmed with gold or silver braid, 
his high jack-boots with big silver buckles at the 
knees, and huge spurs upon his heels, was quite a 
dashing affair, more especially if a couple of black- 
eyed Creole ladies constituted the freight. 

Were it not for the few railroads and steamboat 
routes which are maintained, communication between 
the several parts of the island would be almost im- 
possible. During the rainy season especially, inland 
travel is impracticable for wheels. China or Central 
Africa is equally well off in this respect. Nearly all 
transportation, except it be on the line of the rail- 
roads, is accomplished on mule-back, or on the little 
Cuban horses. The fact is, road making is yet to be 
introduced into the island. Even the wonderful 
volante can only make its way in the environs of 



INTERNAL COMMUNICATION. 221 

cities. Most of the so-called roads resemble the bed 
of a mountain torrent, and would hardly pass for a 
cow-path in America. Nothing more clearly shows 
the undeveloped condition of the island than this 
absence of means for internal communication. In 
Havana and its immediate environs the omnibus and 
tramway afford facilities which are liberally patron- 
ized, though when the latter was first introduced it 
was considered such an innovation that it was most 
bitterly opposed by the citizens. Like the railroads, 
the tramway was the result of foreign enterprise, 
and has doubled the value of property in any direc- 
tion within a couple of leagues of the city proper. 

One of the most petty and most annoying experi- 
ences to which the traveler is subjected is the arbi- 
trary tax of time and money put upon him by the 
small officials, of every rank, in the employment of 
the government. By this system of small taxes 
upon travelers, a considerable revenue is realized. 
Where this is known, it keeps visitors away from 
Cuba, which is just what the Spaniards pretend to 
desire, though it was found that the Creoles did not 
indorse any such idea. Americans leave half a mil- 
lion dollars and more annually in Havana alone, an 
estimate made for us by competent authority. Pass- 
ports are imperatively necessary upon landing, and 
if the visitor desires to travel outside of the port at 
which he arrives a fresh permit is necessary, for 
which a fee is charged. In vain do you show vour 
passport, indorsed by the Spanish consul at the port 
from which you embarked in America. The official 
shrugs his shoulders, and says it is the law. Besides, 
you are watched and your movements recorded at 
police headquarters; though in this respect Berlin 



222 DUE SOUTH. 

is quite as uncomfortable for strangers as is the city 
of Havana. Despots must hedge themselves about 
in every conceivable way. Be careful about the con- 
tents of your letters sent from or received in Cuba. 
These are sometimes delivered to their address, and 
sometimes they are not. Your correspondence may 
be considered of interest to other parties as well as 
to yourself, in which case an indefinite delay may 
occur in the receipt thereof. 

Of all the games and sports of the Spaniards, that 
of the bull-fight is the most cruel, and without one 
redeeming feature to excuse its indulgence. During 
the winter season, weekly exhibitions are given at 
Havana on each recurring Sunday afternoon, the same 
day that is chosen for the brutal sport in Madrid and 
other Spanish peninsular cities. The arena devoted 
to this purpose will seat about ten thousand persons. 
The ground upon which the fight takes place occupies 
about an acre, and is situated on the Regla side of 
the harbor, in the Plaza de Toros. The seats are 
raised one above another, in a complete circle, at a 
secure height from the dangerous struggle. Some- 
times, in his furious onslaughts, the bull throws him- 
self completely over the stout boards which separate 
him from the spectators, when a wild stampede 
occurs. 

On the occasion of the fight witnessed by the 
author, after a shrill flourish of trumpets a large bull 
was let loose from apartments beneath the seats, the 
door of which opened into the arena. The poor 
creature came from utter darkness, where he had 
been kept for many hours, into a blaze of bright sun- 
light, which confused him for a moment, and he 
pawed the ground excitedly, while he rolled his big 



THE BULL FIGHT. 223 

fierce eyeballs as though he suspected some trick had 
been played upon him. Presently, having become 
accustomed to the light, he glared from one side to 
the other as if to take in the situation, and see who 
it was that dared to oppose him. 

In the ring, distributed here and there, were some 
half a dozen professional fighters on foot, called ban- 
derilleros and chulos, besides which there were two 
on horseback, known as picadors. The former held 
scarlet flags in their hands, with which to confuse 
and tease the bull ; the latter were armed with a long 
pole each, at the end of which was a sharp piece 
of steel capable of wounding the bull, but not deeply 
or dangerously. These fighters were a hardened set 
of villains, if the human countenance can be relied 
upon as showing forth the inner man. They rushed 
towards the animal and flaunted their flags before 
his eyes, striving to excite and draw him on to attack 
them. They seemed reckless, but very expert, agile, 
and wary. Every effort was made to worry and tor- 
ment the bull to a state of frenzy. Barbs were 
thrust into his neck and back by the banderilleros, 
with small rockets attached. These exploded into 
his very flesh, which they burned and tore. Thrusts 
from the horsemen's spears also gave harsh, if not 
dangerous wounds, so that the animal bled freely 
at many points. 

When the infuriated beast made a rush at one of 
his tormentors, they adroitly sprang on one side, or, 
if too closely pressed, these practiced athletes with a 
handspring leaped over the high board fence. Which- 
ever way he turned the bull met a fresh enemy and 
another device of torment, until at last the poor 
creature was frantically mad. The fight then became 



224 DUE SOUTH. 

more earnest, the bull rushing first at one and then 
another of his enemies, but the practiced fighters were 
too wary for him ; he could not change position so 
quickly as they could. Finally, the bull turned his 
attention, to the horses and made madly first at the 
one which was nearest, and though he received a 
tearing wound along his spine from the horseman's 
spear, he ripped the horse's bowels open with his 
horns and threw him upon the ground, with his rider 
under him. The men on foot rushed to the rescue 
and drew off the bull by fresh attacks and by flaunt- 
ing the flags before his eyes. In the mean time, the 
rider was got out from beneath the horse, which lay dy- 
ing. The bull, finding that he could revenge himself 
on the horses, transferred his attention to the other 
and threw him to the ground with his rider, but 
received another long wound upon his own back. 
Leaving the two horses lying nearly dead, the bull 
again turned upon the banderilleros, rushing with such 
headlong speed at them that he buried his sharp 
horns several inches in the timbers of the fence. It 
was even a struggle for him to extract them. The 
purpose is not to give the bull any fatal wounds, but 
to worry and torment him to the last degree of en- 
durance. This struggle was kept up for twenty 
minutes or more, when the poor creature, bleeding 
from a hundred wounds, seemed nearly exhausted. 
Then, at a sign from the director, there was a grand 
flourish of trumpets, and the matador, a skillful 
swordsman and the hero of the occasion, entered 
the ring to close with the bull, singly. The other 
fighters withdrew and the matador advanced with a 
scarlet flag in one hand and his naked sword in the 
other. The bull stood at bay, too much worn by 



A MURDEROUS DRAMA. 225 

the fight and loss of blood to voluntarily attack this 
single enemy. The matador advanced and lured him 
to an attack by flaunting his flag. A few feeble 
rushes were made by the bleeding animal, until, in a 
last effort to drive his horns into this new enemy, he 
staggered heavily forward. This time the matador 
did not leap to one side, but received the bull upon 
the point of his Toledo blade, which was aimed at a 
spot just back of the horns, where the brain meets the 
spinal column. As the bull comes on with his head 
bent down to the charge, this spot is exposed, and 
forms a fair target for a practiced hand. The effect 
was electrical. The bull staggered, reeled from side 
to side for an instant, and then fell dead. Four bulls 
were destroyed in a like manner that afternoon, and, 
in their gallant fight for their lives, they killed seven 
horses, trampling their riders in two instances almost 
fatally, though they are protected by a sort of leather 
armor on their limbs and body. During the fight 
with the second bull, which was an extremely fierce 
and powerful creature, a young girl of eighteen 
dressed in male attire, who was trained to the brutal 
business, took an active part in the arena with the 
banderilleros. One remarkable feat which she per- 
formed was that of leaping by means of a pole 
completely over the bull when he was charging at 
her. At Madrid, where the author witnessed a sim- 
ilar exhibition, the introduction of a young girl 
among the fighters was omitted, but otherwise the 
performance was nearly identical. At the close of 
each act of the murderous drama, six horses gayly 
caparisoned with bells and plumes dashed into the 
arena led by attendants, and chains being attached to 
the bodies of the dead animals, they were drawn out 

15 



226 DUE SOUTH. 

at great speed through a gate opened for the purpose, 
amid another flourish of trumpets and the shouts of 
the excited multitude. 

The worst of all this is that the influence of such 
outrageous cruelty is lasting. It infects the beholders 
with a like spirit. In fact, it is contagious. We all 
know how hard the English people became in the 
time of Henry VIII. and Bloody Mary. 

In this struggle of the bull ring there is no gal- 
lantry or true bravery displayed on the part of the 
professional fighters. They run but little personal 
risk, practiced as they are, sheltered and protected 
by artificial means and armed with keen weapons, 
whereas the bull has only his horns to protect him- 
self from his many tormentors. There is no possible 
escape for him ; his fate is sealed from the moment 
he enters the ring. All the true bravery exhibited 
is on his part ; he is always the attacking party, 
and were the exhibition to be attempted in an open 
field, even armed as they are, he would drive every 
one of his enemies out of sight. The much-lauded 
matador does not take his position in front of the 
animal until it is very nearly exhausted by loss of 
blood and long-continued, furious fighting. In our 
estimation, he encounters far less risk than does the 
humblest of the banderilleros or ohulos, who torment 
the bull face to face in the fullness of his physical 
strength and courage. Still, instances are not want- 
ing wherein these matadors have been seriously 
wounded and even killed by a frantic and dying bull, 
who has roused himself for a last final struggle. 

Whatever colonial modification the Spanish char- 
acter may have apparently undergone in Cuba, the 
Creole is Castilian still in his love for the cruel sports 



A NATIONAL INSTITUTION. 227 

of the arena. Great is the similitude also between 
the modern Spaniard and the ancient Roman in this 
respect. As the Spanish language more closely 
resembles Latin than does the Italian, so do the 
Spanish people show more of Roman blood than the 
natives of Italy themselves. Panem et circen&es 
(bread and circuses !) was the cry of the old Roman 
populace, and to gratify their wishes millions of 
sesterces were lavished, and hecatombs of human 
victims slain in the splendid amphitheatres erected 
by the masters of the world in all the cities subject 
to their sway. And so pan y toros (bread and bulls !) 
is the imperious demand of the Spaniards, to which 
the government is forced to respond. The parallel 
may be pursued still further. The proudest ladies of 
Rome, maids and matrons, gazed with liveliest interest 
upon the dying gladiators who hewed each other in 
pieces, or on the Christians who perished in conflict 
with the wild beasts, half starved to give them bat- 
tle. So the senoras and senoritas of Madrid, Seville, 
Malaga, and Havana enjoy, with keen delight, the 
terrible spectacle of bulls slaughtered by picadors 
and matadors, and gallant horses ripped up and dis- 
emboweled by the horns of their brute adversaries. 
It is true that the ameliorating spirit of Christianity 
is evinced in the changes which the arena has under- 
gone. Human lives are no longer designedly sacrificed 
wholesale in the bloody contests, yet the bull-fight is 
sufficiently barbarous and atrocious. It is a national 
institution, indicative of national character. 

To look upon the serenity of Cuban ladies, driving 
in the Paseo or listening to the nightly music in the 
Plaza de Isabella, one could not possibly imagine 
them to be lacking in tenderness, or that there was 



228 DUE SOUTH. 

in them sufficient hardihood to witness such exhibi- 
tions as we have described, and yet one third of the 
audience on the occasion spoken of was composed of 
the gentler sex. They are almost universally hand- 
some, being rather below the average height of the sex 
w 7 ith us, but possessing an erect and dignified carriage. 
Their form, always rounded to a delicate fullness, is 
quite perfection in point of model. Their dark hair 
and olive complexions are well matched, — the latter 
without a particle of natural carmine. The eyes are 
a match for the hair, being large and beautifully 
expressive, with a most irresistible dash of languor 
in them, — but not the languor of illness. It is really 
difficult to conceive of an ugly woman with such eyes 
as they all possess in Cuba, — the Moorish, Anda- 
lusian eye. The Cuban women have also been justly 
famed for their graceful carriage, and it is indeed the 
poetry of motion, singular as it may appear, when it 
is remembered that for them to walk abroad is such 
a rarity. It is not the simple progressive motion 
alone, but also the harmonious play of features, the 
coquettish undulation of the face, the exquisite dis- 
position of costume, and the modulation of voice, that 
engage the beholder and lend a happy charm to 
every attitude and every step. 

The gentlemen as a rule are good-looking, though 
they are much smaller, lighter, and more agile than 
the average American. The lazy life they so uni- 
versally lead tends to make them less manly than a 
more active one would do. It seems to be a rule 
among them never to do for themselves that which a 
slave can do for them. This is demonstrated in the 
style of the volante, where the small horse is made 
not only to draw the vehicle, but also to carry a large 



SPANISH TITLES. 229 

negro on his back as driver. Now, if reins were used, 
there would be no occasion for the postilion at all, but 
a Spaniard or Creole would think it demeaning to 
drive his own vehicle. With abundance of leisure, 
and the ever present influences of their genial clime, 
where the heart's blood leaps more swiftly to the 
promptings of the imagination and where the female 
form earliest attains its maturity, the West Indians 
seem peculiarly adapted for romance and for love. 
The consequent adventures constantly occurring 
among them often culminate in startling tragedies, 
and afford plots in which a French feuilletonist would 
revel. 

The nobility of Cuba, so called, is composed of 
rather homespun material, to say the least of it. 
There may be some fifty individuals clubbed with the 
title of marquis, and as many more with that of count, 
most of whom have acquired their wealth and position 
by carrying on extensive sugar plantations. These 
are sneeringly designated by the humble classes as 
sugar noblemen, and not inappropriately so, as nearly 
all of these aristocratic gentlemen have purchased 
their titles outright for money. Not the least consid- 
eration is exercised by the Spanish throne as to the 
fitness of these ambitious individuals for honorary 
distinction. It is a mere question of money, and if 
this be forthcoming the title follows as a natural 
sequence. Twenty-five thousand dollars will pur- 
chase any title. Such things are done in other lands, 
but not quite so openly. And yet the tone of Cuban 
society in its higher circles is found to be rather 
aristocratic and exclusive. The native of Old Spain 
does not endeavor to conceal his contempt for foreign- 
ers of all classes, and as to the Creoles, he simply 



230 DUE SOUTH. 

scorns to meet them on social grounds, shielding his 
inferiority of intelligence under a cloak of hauteur, 
assuming the wings of the eagle, but possessing only 
the eyes of the owl. Thus the Castilians and Creoles 
are ever at antagonism, both socially and politically. 
The bitterness of feeling existing between them can 
hardly be exaggerated. The sugar planter, the coffee 
planter, the merchant, and the liberal professions 
stand in the order in which we have named them, as 
regards their relative degree of social importance, but 
wealth, in fact, has the same charm here as elsewhere 
in Christendom, and the millionaire has the entre*e to 
all classes. 

The Monteros or j^eomanry of the island inhabit 
the less cultivated and cheaper portions of the soil, 
entering the cities only to dispose of their surplus 
produce, and acting as the marketmen of the popu- 
lous districts. When they stir abroad, in nearly all 
parts of the island, they are armed with a sword, and 
in the eastern sections about Santiago, or even Cien- 
fuegos, they also carry pistols in the holsters of their 
saddles. Formerly this was indispensable for self- 
protection, but at this time weapons are more rarely 
worn. Still the arming of the Monteros has always 
been encouraged by the authorities, as they form a 
sort of militia at all times available against negro 
insurrection, a calamity in fear of which such com- 
munities must always live. The Montero is rarely a 
slaveholder, but is frequently engaged on the sugar 
plantations during the bnsy season as an overseer, 
and, to his discredit be it said, he generally proves 
to be a hard taskmaster, entertaining an intuitive dis- 
like to the negroes. 

An evidence of the contagious character of cruelty 



THE MONT EROS. 231 

was given in a circumstance coming under the au- 
thor's observation on a certain plantation at Alqui- 
zar, where a manifest piece of severity led him to ap- 
peal to the proprietor in behalf of a female slave. 
The request for mercy was promptly granted, and 
the acting overseer, himself a mulatto, was quietly 
reprimanded for his cruelty. " You will find," said 
our host, " that colored men always make the hardest 
masters when placed over their own race, but they 
have heretofore been much emplo}-ed on the island 
in this capacity, because a sense of pride makes them 
faithful to the proprietor's interest. That man is 
himself a slave," he added, pointing to the sub-over- 
seer, who still stood among the negroes, whip in 
hand. 

The Montero sometimes hires a free colored man 
to help him in the planting season on his little patch 
of vegetable garden, in such work as a Yankee would 
do for himself, but these small farmers trust mostly 
to the exuberant fertility of the soil, and spare them- 
selves all manual labor, save that of gathering the 
produce and taking it to market. They form, never- 
theless, a very important and interesting class of the 
population. They marry very young, the girls at 
thirteen and fifteen, the young men from sixteen to 
eighteen, and almost invariably rear large families. 
Pineapples and children are a remarkably sure crop 
in the tropics. The increase among them during the 
last half century has been very large, much more in 
proportion than in any other class of the community, 
and they seem to be approaching a degree of impor- 
tance, at least numerically, which will render them 
eventually like the American farmers, the bone and 
sinew of the land. There is room enough for them 



232 DUE SOUTH. 

and to spare, for hardly more than one tenth of the 
land is under actual cultivation, a vast portion being 
still covered by virgin forests and uncleared savannas. 
The great and glaring misfortune — next to that of 
living under a government permitting neither civil 
nor religious liberty, where church and state are alike 
debased as the tools of despotism, — is their want of 
educational facilities. Books and schools they have 
none. Barbarism itself is scarcely less cultured. We 
were told that the people had of late been somewhat 
aroused from this condition of lethargy concerning 
education, and some effort has recently been made 
among the more intelligent to afford their children 
opportunities for instruction. But at the present 
writing, the Egyptian fellah is not more ignorant 
than the rural population of Cuba, who as a mass 
possess all the indolence and few of the virtues of 
the aborigines. 

There is one highly creditable characteristic evinced 
by the Monteros as a class, and that is their temper- 
ate habits in regard to indulgence in stimulating 
drinks. As a beverage they do not use ardent spirits, 
and seem to have no taste or desire for the article, 
though they drink the ordinary claret — rarely any- 
thing stronger. This applies to the country people, 
not to the residents of the cities. The latter quickly 
contract the habit of gin drinking, as already described. 
There is one prominent vice to which the Monteros 
are indisputably addicted ; namely, that of gambling. 
It seems to be a natural as well as a national trait, 
the appliances for which are so constantly at hand in 
the form of lottery tickets and the cock-pits that they 
can hardly escape the baleful influences. There are 
some who possess sufficient strength of character and 



THE PUBLIC MARKET. 233 

intelligence to avoid it altogether, but with the ma- 
jority it is the regular resort for each leisure hour. 
One of their own statesmen, Castelar, told the Span- 
iards, not long since, that gambling was the tax laid 
upon fools. 

Perhaps the best place at which to study the appear- 
ance and character of the Monteros is at the Central 
Market, where they come daily by hundreds from 
the country in the early morning to sell their prod- 
uce, accompanied by long lines of mules or horses 
with well-laden panniers. It is a motley crowd that 
one meets there, where purchasers and salesmen 
mingle promiscuously. From six to nine o'clock, 
A. M., it is the busiest place in all Havana. Negroes 
and mulattoes, Creoles and Spaniards, Chinamen and 
Monteros, men and women, beggars, purchasers, and 
slaves, all come to the market on the Calzada de la 
Rein a. Here the display of fruits and vegetables is 
something marvelous, both in variety and in pictur- 
esqueness of arrangement. This locality is the natu- 
ral resort of the mendicants, who pick up a trifle in 
the way of provisions from one and another, as people 
who do not feel disposed to bestow money will often 
give food to the indigent. This market was the only 
place in the city where it was possible to purchase 
flowers, but here one or two humble dealers came at 
early morn to dispose of such buds and blossoms as 
they found in demand. A blind Chinese coolie was 
found sitting on the sidewalk every morning, at the 
corner of the Calzada de la Reina, just opposite the 
market, and he elicited a trifle from us now and again. 
One morning a couple of roses and a sprig of lemon 
verbena were added to his small gratuity. The effect 
upon that sightless countenance was electrical, and 



234 DUE SOUTH. 

the poor mendicant, having only pantomime with 
which to express his delight, seemed half frantic. 
The money fell to the ground, but the flowers were 
pressed passionately to his breast. 

Did it remind him, we thought, of perfumes which 
had once delighted his youthful senses in far-off Asia, 
before he had been decoyed to a foreign land and 
into semi-slavery, to be deprived of health, liberty, 
sight, hope, everything ? 

The Cuban beggars have a dash of originality in 
their ideas as to the successful prosecution of their 
calling ; we mean those " native and to the manor 
born." Some of them possess two and even three 
cadaverous dogs, taught to follow closely at their 
heels, as they wander about, and having the same 
shriveled-up, half-starved aspect as their masters. 
One beggar, who was quite a cripple, had his daily 
seat in a sort of wheelbarrow, at the corner of Paseo 
Street, opposite the Plaza de Isabella. This man 
was always accompanied by a parrot of gaudy plu- 
mage, perched familiarly on his shoulder. Now and 
then the cripple put some favorite bird-food between 
his own lips, which the parrot extracted and appro- 
priated with such promptness as to indicate a good 
appetite. Another solicitor of alms, quite old and 
bent, had an amusing companion in a little gray 
squirrel, with a collar and string attached, the animal 
being as mischievous as a monkey, now and then 
hiding in one of the mendicant's several pockets, 
sometimes coming forth to crack and eat a nut upon 
his owner's shoulder. A blind beggar, of Creole 
nationality, sat all day long in the hot sun, on the 
Alameda de Paula near the Hotel San Carlos, whose 
companion was a chimpanzee monkey. The little 



A SINGULAR CHARACTER. 235 

half-human creature held out its hand with a piteous 
expression to every passer-by, and deposited whatever 
he received in his master's pocket. These pets serve 
to attract attention, if not commiseration, and we 
observed that the men did not beg in vain. 

The acme of originality, however, was certainly 
reached in the case of a remarkable Creole beggar 
whose regular post is on the west corner of the Cen- 
tral Market. This man is perhaps thirty-five or forty 
years of age, and possesses a fine head, a handsome 
face, and piercing black eyes. He is of small body, 
and his lower limbs are so withered as to be entirely 
useless ; so he sits with them curled up in a low, broad 
basket, in which he is daily brought to the spot, lo- 
comotion in his case being out of the question. He 
wears the cleanest of linen, and his faultless cuffs 
and ruffled shirt-bosom are decked with solid gold 
studs. He is bareheaded, but his thick black hair is 
carefully dressed, and parted with mathematical pre- 
cision in the middle. He wears neither coat nor vest, 
but his lower garments are neatly adapted to his 
deformity, and are of broadcloth. This man does not 
utter a word, but extends his hand pleasantly, with 
an appealing look from his handsome eyes, which, 
often elicits a silver real from the passer-by. We 
acknowledge to having been thus influenced more 
than once, in our morning walks, by a sympathy 
which it would be difficult to analyze. We had seen 
a colored dude selling canes at Nassau, but a dude 
mendicant, and a cripple at that, was a physical 
anomaly. 



CHAPTER XII. 

Introduction of Sugar-Cane. — Sugar Plantations. — Mode of Manu- 
facture. — Slaves on the Plantations. — African Amusements. — 
The Grinding Season. — The Coffee Plantations. — A Floral Par- 
adise. — Refugees from St. Domingo. — Interesting Experiments 
with a Mimosa. — Three Staple Productions of Cuba. — Raising 
Coffee and Tobacco. — Best Soils for the Tobacco. — Agricultural 
Possibilities. — The Cuban Pire-Fly. — A Much-Dreaded Insect. — 
The Ceiba Tree. — About Horses and Oxen. 

The first sugar plantation established in Cuba was 
in 1595, nearly three hundred years since. These 
plantations are the least attractive in external appear- 
ance, but the most profitable pecuniarily, of all agri- 
cultural investments in the tropics, though at the 
present writing there is a depression in prices of 
sugar which has brought about a serious complica- 
tion of affairs. The markets of the world have 
become glutted with the article, owing to the enor- 
mous over-production in Europe from the beet. The 
plantations devoted to the raising of the sugar-cane 
in Cuba spread out their extensive fields, covered 
with the corn-like stalks, without any relief to the 
eye, though here and there the graceful feathery 
branches of the palm are seen. The fields are 
divided off into squares of three or four acres each, 
between which a roadway is left for ox-teams to pass 
for gathering purposes. On some of the largest 
estates tramways have been laid, reaching from the 
several sections of the plantation to the doors of the 
grinding-mill. A mule, by this means, is enabled to 



SUGAR PLANTATIONS, 237 

draw as large a load as a pair of oxen on plain 
ground, and with much more ease and promptness. 

About the houses of the owner and the overseer, 
graceful fruit trees, such as bananas and cocoanuts, 
with some flowering and fragrant plants, are grouped, 
forming inviting shade and producing a picturesque 
effect. Not far away, the low cabins of the blacks 
are half hidden by plantain and mango trees, sur- 
rounded by cultivated patches devoted to yams, 
sweet potatoes, and the like. Some of the small 
gardens planted by these dusky Africans showed 
judgment and taste in their management. Chickens 
and pigs, which were the private property of the 
negroes, were cooped up just behind the cabins. 
Many of these plantations employ from four to five 
hundred blacks, and in some instances the num- 
ber will reach seven hundred on extensive estates, 
though the tendency of the new and improved ma- 
chinery is to constantly reduce the number of hands 
required, and to increase the degree of intelligence 
necessary in those employed. Added to these em- 
ployees there must also be many head of cattle, — 
oxen, horses, and mules. The annual running expen- 
diture of one of these large estates will reach two 
hundred thousand dollars, more or less, for which 
outlay there is realized, under favorable circumstan- 
ces, a million five hundred thousand pounds of sugar, 
worth, in good seasons, five cents per pound at the 
nearest shipping point. 

There are a few of the small estates which still em- 
ploy ox-power for grinding the cane, but American 
steam-engines have almost entirely taken the place of 
animal power ; indeed, as we have shown, it will no 
longer pay to produce sugar by the primitive proc- 



238 DUE SOUTH. 

esses. This creates a constant demand for engineers 
and machinists, for whom the Cubans depend upon 
this country. We were told that there were not less 
than two hundred Bostonians at the present time thus 
engaged on Cuban estates. A Spaniard or Creole 
would as soon attempt to fly like a bird as to learn 
how to run a steam-engine or regulate a line of shaft- 
ing. It requires more intelligence and mechanical 
skill, as a rule, than the most faithful slaves possess. 
A careful calculation shows that in return for the 
services of this small band of employees taken from 
our shores, this country takes eighty per cent, of all 
the sugar produced upon the island! Twelve per 
cent, is consumed by peninsular Spain, thus leaving 
but eight per cent, of this product for distribution 
elsewhere. 

During the grinding season, which begins about 
the first of December and ends in April, a large, 
well-managed sugar plantation in Cuba is a scene 
of the utmost activity and most unremitting labor. 
Time is doubly precious during the harvesting period, 
for when the cane is ripe there should be no delay in 
expressing the juice. If left too long in the field it be- 
comes crystallized, deteriorating both in its quality 
and in the amount of juice which is obtained. The 
oxen employed often die before the season is at an 
end, from overwork beneath a torrid sun. The 
slaves are allowed but four or five hours sleep out of 
the twenty-four, and being worked by watches during 
the night, the mill does not lie idle for an hour after 
it is started until the grinding season is closed. If 
the slaves are thus driven during this period, through- 
out the rest of the year their task is comparatively 
light, and they may sleep ten hours out of the twenty- 



PLANTATION AMUSEMENTS. 239 

four, if they choose. According to the Spanish slave 
code, — always more or less of a dead letter, — the 
blacks can be kept at work in Cuba only from sun- 
rise to sunset, with an interval of two hours for re- 
pose and food in the middle of the day. But this is 
not regarded in the sugar harvest season, which period, 
after all, the slaves do not seem so much to dread, 
for then they are granted more privileges and are bet- 
ter fed, given more variety of food and many other 
little luxuries which they are known to prize. 

On Sunday afternoons and evenings on most of the 
plantations the slaves are given their time, and are 
permitted, even in the harvest season, to amuse them- 
selves after their own chosen fashion. On such oc- 
casions the privilege is often improved by the blacks 
to indulge in native African dances, crude and rude 
enough, but very amusing to witness. The music 
for the dancers is supplied by a home-made drum, 
and by that alone, the negro who plays it being to 
the lookers-on quite as much of a curiosity as those 
who perform the grotesque dances. This humble 
musician writhes, wriggles, twists himself like a cork- 
screw, and all the while beats time, accompanying 
his notes with cries and howls, reminding one of the 
Apache Indian when engaged in a war dance. It is 
astonishing to witness to what a degree of excitement 
this negro drummer will work himself up, often fairly 
frothing at the mouth. A buxom wench and her mate 
step forward and perform a wild, sensuous combina- 
tion of movements, a sort of negro can-can, like those 
dancing girls one sees in India, striving to express 
sentiments of love, jealousy, and passion by their 
pantomime, though these negroes are far less refined 
in their gestures. When these two are exhausted, 



240 DUE SOUTH. 

others take their place, with very similar movements. 
The same drummer labors all the while, perspiring 
copiously, and seeming to get his full share of sat- 
isfaction out of the queer performance. This is 
almost their only amusement, though the Chinese 
coolies who have been distributed upon the planta- 
tions have taught the negroes some of their queer 
games, one, particularly, resembling dominoes. The 
author saw a set of dominoes made out of native ebony 
wood by an African slave, which were of finer finish 
than machinery turns out, delicately inlaid with ivory 
from alligators' teeth, indicating the points upon each 
piece. We were told that the only tool the maker 
had with which to execute his delicate task was a 
rude jack-knife. We have said that the negroes find 
in the singular dance referred to their one amuse- 
ment, but they sometimes engage among themselves 
in a game of ball, after a fashion all their own, 
which it would drive a Yankee base-ball player frantic 
to attempt to analyze. 

The sugar-cane yields but one crop in a year. 
There are several varieties, but the Otaheitan seems 
to be the most generally cultivated. Between the 
time when enough of the cane is ripe to warrant the 
getting-up of steam at the grinding-mill and the 
time when the heat and the rain spoil its qualities, 
all the sugar for the season must be made ; hence the 
necessity for great industry on the large estates. In 
Louisiana the grinding season lasts but about eight 
weeks. In Cuba it continues four months. In analyz- 
ing the sugar produced on the island and comparing 
it with that of the mainland, — the growth of Louisi- 
ana, — chemists could find no difference as to the 
quality of the true saccharine principle contained in 



PLANTER-PRIESTS. 241 

each. The Cuban sugar, compared with beet-sugar, 
however, is said to yield of saccharine matter one 
quarter more in any given quantity. 

In society the sugar planter holds a higher rank 
than the coffee planter, as we have already intimated ; 
merely in the scale of wealth, however, for it requires 
five times the capital to carry on a sugar estate that 
would serve for a coffee estate. Some of the large 
sugar plantations have been owned and carried on by 
Jesuit priests — we were about to write ex-Jesuit 
priests, but that would not be quite correct, for once 
a member of this order one is bound to it for all 
time. The priest or acknowledged member of the 
organization may be forced for prudential reasons to 
temporarily change his occupation, but he cannot 
sever himself from the responsibilities which he has 
once voluntarily assumed. There was a time when 
much of the landed and fertile property of the isl- 
and was controlled by the Church, — in fact owned 
by it, though often by very questionable titles. The 
original owners, under cunning pressure, perhaps on 
a threatened death-bed, were induced to will all to 
the Church ; or as an act of deep penance for some 
crime divulged at the confessional, they yielded up 
all. To preserve this property and possibly to cause 
it to produce an income for the Church, certain priests 
became active planters. Extreme ecclesiastic rule, as 
has been said, is greatly modified in Spain and her 
colonies, the natural reaction of the hateful days of 
the Inquisition. 

As the sugar plantation surpasses the coffee in 
wealth, so the coffee estate surpasses the sugar in 
every natural beauty and attractiveness. A coffee 
plantation, well and properly laid out, is one of the 

16 



242 DUE SOUTH. 

most beautiful gardens that can well be conceived of, 
in its variety and loveliness baffling description. An 
estate devoted to this purpose usually covers a hun- 
dred acres, more or less, planted in regular squares of 
one aero or thereabouts, intersected by broad alleys 
lined with palms, mangoes, bananas, oranges, and 
other fruits ; as the coffee, unlike the sugar cane, re- 
quires partial protection from the ardor of the sun. 
Mingled with the trees are lemons, limes, pomegran- 
ates, Cape jasmines, and a species of wild heliotrope, 
fragrant as the morning. Occasionally in the wide 
reach of the estate there is seen a solitary, broad- 
spreading ceiba, in hermit-like isolation from other 
trees, but shading a fragrant undergrowth. Conceive 
of this beautiful arrangement, and then of the whole 
when in flower ; the coffee, with its milk-white blos- 
soms, so abundant that it seems as though a pure 
white cloud of snow had fallen there, and left the rest 
of the vegetation fresh and green. Interspersed in 
these fragrant alleys dividing the coffee plants is the 
red of the Mexican rose, the flowering pomegranate, 
the yellow jasmine, and the large, gaudy flower of the 
penon, shrouding its parent stem in a cloak of scarlet. 
Here too are seen clusters of the graceful yellow 
flag, and many wild flowers, unknown by name, en- 
twining their tender stems about the base of the 
fruit trees. In short, a coffee plantation is a perfect 
floral paradise, full of fragrance and repose. 

The writer's experience was mainly gained at and 
about the estate of the late Dr. Finley, a Scotch 
physician long resident upon the island. He had 
named his plantation after the custom with a fancy 
title, and called it Buena Esperanza. Here was seen 
the mignonette tree twenty feet high, full of pale 



REFUGEES FROM SAN DOMINGO. 243 

yellow and green blossoms, as fragrant as is its little 
namesake, which we pet in our conservatories. There 
were also fuchsias, blue, red, yellow, and green, this 
last hue quite new to us. The night-blooming cereus 
was in rank abundance, together with the flor de pa- 
scua, or Easter flower, so lovely in its cream-colored, 
wax-like blossom. The Indian poui, with its saffron- 
colored flowers, was strikingly conspicuous, and there 
too was that pleasant little favorite, the damask rose. 
It seemed as if all out-doors was an exotic garden, 
full of marvelous beauty. What daily miracles na- 
ture is performing under our only half-observant 
eyes ! Behold, where the paths intersect each other, 
a beautiful convolvulus has entwined itself about that 
dead and decaying tree, clothing the gray old trunk 
with pale but lovely flowers ; just as we deck our hu- 
man dead for the grave. 

It was the revolution in San Domingo which gave 
the first great stimulus to the culture of the coffee 
plant in Cuba, an enterprise which has gradually 
faded out in the last decade, though not absolutely 
obliterated. The refugees from the opposite shore 
sought shelter wherever they could find it among the 
nearest islands of the Archipelago, and large numbers 
made their new homes in the eastern department of 
Cuba, near the cities of Trinidad and Santiago. Here 
they turned lands which had been idle for three and 
four centuries into smiling gardens, and the produc- 
tion of the favorite berry became very profitable for a 
series of years, many cargoes being shipped annually 
to this country from the two ports j List named. The 
production of sugar, however, has always maintained 
precedence, dividing the honor to-day only with to- 
bacco in the manufactured state. Coffee does not 



244 DUE SOUTH. 

figure to any extent in the statistics of exports. Ex- 
orbitant taxation and the cruel ravages of civil war, 
in the coffee districts especially, are largely the cause 
of the loss of an important and profitable industry. 

Some amusing experiments with a mimosa or sensi- 
tive plant served to fill a leisure hour at Buena Espe- 
ranza, under our host's intelligent direction. It grew 
wild and luxuriantly within a few feet of the broad 
piazza of the country-house. Close by it was a morn- 
ing-glory, which was in remarkable fullness and fresh- 
ness of bloom, its gay profuseness of purple, pink, 
and variegated white making it indeed the glory of 
the morning. It was a surprise to find the mimosa 
of such similar habits with its neighbor, the morning- 
glory, regularly folding its leaves and going to sleep 
when the shades of evening deepened, but awaking 
bright and early with the first breath of the morn. 
So sensitive is this most curious plant, so full of 
nerves, as our host expressed it, that it would not 
only shrink instantly, like unveiled modesty, at the 
touch of one's hand, but even at the near approach of 
some special organisms, ere they had extended a hand 
towards it. Five persons tried the experiment before 
the sixth illustrated the fact that touch was not abso- 
lutely necessary to cause the leaves to shrivel up or 
shrink through seeming fear. Our host even inti- 
mated that when the mimosa had become familiar 
with a congenial person its timidity would vanish, and 
it could be handled gently by that individual without 
outraging its sensibility. Of this, however, we saw 
no positive evidence. If Mr. Darwin had supple- 
mented his chapters on the monkey by a paper relat- 
ing to the mimosa, he might possibly have enabled 
us to find a mutual confirmation in them of some 
fine-spun theory. 



THREE STAPLE PRODUCTIONS. 245 

The three great staple productions of Cuba are 
sugar, the sweetener ; coffee, the tonic ; and tobacco, 
the narcotic of half the world. The first of these, as 
we have shown, is the greatest source of wealth, hav- 
ing also the preference as to purity and excellence over 
any other saccharine production. Its manufacture 
also yields molasses, which forms an important arti- 
cle of export, besides which a spirituous liquor, called 
aguardiente, is distilled in considerable quantities 
from the molasses. The cane, which grows to about 
the size of a large walking-stick, or well-developed 
cornstalk, is cut off near the ground and conveyed in 
the green state, though it is called ripe, to the mill, 
where it is crushed to a complete pulp between stones 
or iron rollers. After the juice is thus extracted the 
material left is spread out in the sun to dry, and is 
after being thus " cured " used for fuel beneath the 
steam-boilers, which afford both power to the engine 
and the means of boiling the juice. Lime-water is 
employed to neutralize any free acid as well as to 
separate the vegetable matter. The granulation and 
crystallization are effected in large flat pans, or now 
more commonly by centrifugal machines, rotating at 
great speed. It is then crushed and packed either in 
hogsheads or in boxes for exportation ; canvas bags 
are also being largely employed, as they are easier to 
pack on board ship, and also to handle generally. A 
plantation is renewed when deemed necessary, by 
laying the green canes horizontally in the ground, 
when new and vigorous shoots spring up from every 
joint, showing the great fertility of the soil. 

Coffee was introduced by the French into Marti- 
nique in 1727, but it did not make its appearance in 
Cuba until forty years later, or, to be exact, in 1769. 



246 DUE SOUTH. 

The decadence of this branch of agriculture is due 
not only to the causes we have already named, but 
also to the inferior mode of cultivation adopted on the 
island. It was predicted some years before it com- 
menced, and when the crash came the markets of 
the world were also found to be greatly overstocked 
with the article. While some planters introduced 
improved methods and economy in the conduct of 
their estates, others abandoned the business alto- 
gether, and turned their fields either into sugar-rais- 
ing, fruits or tobacco. Precisely the same trouble 
was experienced in the island of Ceylon, which was 
at one time a great coffee-raising centre, but now its 
planters are many of them abandoning the business, 
while others adopt new seed and new methods of 
culture. In Cuba it was found that the plants had 
been grown too closely together and subjected to too 
close pruning, while the product, which was gathered 
by hand, yielded a mixture of ripe and unripe berries. 
In the countries where coffee originated, a very differ- 
ent method of harvesting is adopted. The Arabs 
plant the coffee-shrubs much farther apart, allow them 
to grow to considerable height, and gather the crop 
by shaking the tree, a method which secures only the 
ripe berries. After a few weeks, or even days, the 
field is gone over a second time, when the green 
berries have become fit to gather, and readily fall to 
the ground. 

A coffee estate well managed, that is, combined 
with the rearing of fruits and vegetables intermingled, 
thus affording the required shade for the main crop, 
proves fairly profitable in Cuba to-day, and were this 
industry not hampered and handicapped by excessive 
taxes, it would attract many new planters. The 



COFFEE ESTATES. 247 

coffee ripens from August to December, the nuts 
then becoming about the size of our cherries. The 
coffee-berry is the seed of the fruit, two of which are 
contained in each kernel, having their flat surfaces 
together, surrounded by a soft pulp. The ripe ber- 
ries are dried by exposure to the sun's rays, then 
bruised in a mill, by which means the seeds are 
separated from the berry. They are then screened 
to cleanse them, after which they are bagged, and the 
coffee is ready for market. Some planters take great 
care to sort their crop by hand, in which operation 
tbe negro women become very expert. By dividing 
the berries into first and second qualities as to size 
and cleanliness, a better aggregated price is realized 
for the entire harvest. Not only are the coffee es- 
tates much more pleasing to the eye than the sugar 
plantations, but they are also much more in harmony 
with the feelings of the philanthropist. There is here 
no such exigency in getting in the harvest, leading 
to the overwork of the slaves, as on a sugar estate in 
the grinding season. Indeed, we were assured that 
it was quite possible to carry on a coffee estate with 
white labor. When, heretofore, a negro has been 
brought to the block in Havana, or any other Cu- 
ban city, the price realized for him has always been 
materially affected by the question whether he had 
been employed on a sugar estate in the grinding 
season. If he had been thus employed it was con- 
sidered that his life has been unduly shortened, and 
he sold accordingly at a lower price. At the present 
time few negroes are bought or sold, as their market 
value has become merely nominal. There is no good 
reason why white labor is not suited to the coffee 
and tobacco estates. When the field labor upon the 



248 DUE SOUTH. 

sugar estates is almost wholly performed by machin- 
ery, that is, the cane cut by a reaper, there will be so 
much less exposure to the sun that white hands, 
under proper management, can perform it. 

Tobacco, indigenous to both Cuba and the United 
States, is a great source of revenue upon the island. 
Its cultivation involves considerable labor and ex- 
pense, as the soil must be carefully chosen and pre- 
pared, and the crop is an exhaustive one to the land ; 
but the cultivation does not require machinery, like 
sugar-cane, nor quite so much care as does the grow- 
ing coffee. It is valued in accordance with the lo- 
cality from which it comes, some sections being 
especially adapted to its production. That of the 
greatest market value, and used in the manufacture 
of the highest-cost cigars, is grown in the most west- 
erly division of the island, known as the Vuelta de 
Abajo (Lower Valley). The whole western portion 
of Cuba is not by any means suitable to the pro- 
duction of tobacco. The region of the best tobacco 
is comprised within a small parallelogram of very 
limited extent. Beyond this, up to the meridian of 
Havana, the tobacco is of fine color, but of inferior 
aroma. From Consolacion to San Christoval the 
tobacco is very "hot," — to use a local phrase, — 
harsh, and strong, and from San Christoval to Gua- 
najay the quality is inferior up to Holguin y Cuba, 
where better tobacco is produced. The fertile valley 
of Los Guines produces poor smoking-tobacco, but an 
article excellent for the manufacture of snuff. On 
the banks of the Rio San Sebastian, are also some 
estates which produce the very best quality of tobacco. 
Thus it will be seen that certain properties of soil 
operate more directly in producing a fine grade of 



AGRICULTURAL POSSIBILITIES. 249 

tobacco than any slight variation of climate. Pos- 
sibly a chemical analysis of the soil of the Yuelta de 
Abajo would enable the intelligent cultivator to sup- 
ply to other lands the ingredients wanted to make 
them produce equally good tobacco. A fairly mar- 
ketable article, however, is grown in nearly any part 
of the island. Its cultivation is thought to produce 
a full ten per cent, upon the capital invested, the 
annual crop of Cuba being estimated in value at 
about twenty-three million dollars. The number of 
tobacco planters is said to be about fifteen thousand, 
large and small. On many tobacco farms the labor 
is nearly all performed by white hands. Some 
coolies and some negroes are also employed even on 
small estates. 

When it is remembered that so small a portion of 
the land is under cultivation, and yet that Cuba ex- 
ports annually a hundred million dollars worth of 
sugar and molasses, besides coffee, tobacco, fruits, 
and precious woods, it will be realized what might be 
accomplished, under a liberal system of government, 
upon this gem of the Caribbean Sea. Cacao, rice, 
plantains, indigo, and cotton, besides Indian corn 
and many nutritious vegetables, might be profitably 
cultivated to a much larger degree than is now done. 
It is a curious and remarkable fact, suggesting a 
striking moral, that with the inexhaustible fertility 
of the soil, with an endless summer that gives the 
laborer two and even three crops a year, agriculture 
generally yields in Cuba a lower percentage of profit 
than in our stern Northern latitudes, where the farmer 
has to wrench, as it were, the half-reluctant crop 
from the ground. It must be remembered that in 
Cuba there are numerous fruits and vegetables not 



250 DUE SOUTH. 

enumerated in these pages, which do not enter into 
commerce, and which spring spontaneously from the 
fertile soil. In the possession of a thrifty population 
the island would be made to blossom like a rose, but 
as it now is, it forms only a garden growing wild, 
cultivated here and there in patches. None of the 
fine natural fruits have ever been improved by careful 
culture and the intelligent selection of kinds, so that 
in many respects they will not compare in perfection 
with our average strawberries, plums, pears, and 
peaches. Their unfulfilled possibilities remain to be 
developed by intelligent treatment. 

The plantain, which may be said to be the bread of 
the common people, requires to be planted but once. 
The stem bears freely, like the banana of the same 
family, at the end of eight months, and then wither- 
ing to the ground renews itself again from the roots. 
Sweet potatoes once planted require care only to pre- 
vent their too great luxuriance, and for this purpose 
a plough is passed through them before the wet sea- 
son, and as many of the vines as can be freely plucked 
up are removed from the field. The sugar-cane, on 
virgin soil, will last and prove productive for twenty 
years. The coffee shrub or tree will bear luxuriantly 
for forty or fifty years. The cocoanut palm is pecul- 
iar to all tropical climates, and in Cuba, as in the 
Malacca Straits and India, bears an important share 
in sustaining the life of the people, supplying milk, 
shade, and material for a hundred domestic uses. It 
grows in luxuriant thriftiness all over the island, in 
high and low land, in forests, and down to the very 
shore washed by the Gulf Stream. It is always 
graceful and picturesque, imparting an oriental as- 
pect to everything which surrounds it. It is esti- 



THE CUBAN FIREFLY. 251 

mated that over ten million acres of native forests, 
covered by valuable wood, still remain untouched by 
the woodman's axe, especially on and about the moun- 
tain range, which extends nearly the entire length of 
the island, like the vertebrae of an immense whale. 

About the coffee plantations, and indeed through- 
out the rural portions of the country, there is a 
curious little insect called a cocuyo, answering in its 
general characteristics and nature to our firefly, though 
it is quadruple its size, and far the most brilliant 
insect of its kind known to naturalists. They float 
in phosphorescent clouds over the vegetation, emitting 
a lurid halo, like fairy torch-bearers to elfin crews. 
One at first sight is apt to compare them to a shower 
of stars. They come in multitudes immediately after 
the wet season sets in, prevailing more or less, how- 
ever, air the year round. Their advent is always 
hailed with delight by the slave children, as well as 
by children of a larger growth. They are caught by 
the slaves in any desired numbers and confined in 
tiny cages of wicker, giving them sufficient light in 
their cabins at night for ordinary purposes, and form- 
ing the only artificial light permitted them. We 
have seen a string of the little cages containing the 
glittering insects hung in a slave-cabin in festoons, 
like colored lamps in fancy-goods stores in America. 
The effect of the evanescent light thus produced is 
very peculiar, but the number of insects employed 
insures a sufficiently steady effect for ordinary pur- 
poses. These little creatures are brought into Havana 
by young Creole children and by women, for sale to 
the ladies, who sometimes in the evenings wear a 
small cage hung to the wrist containing a few of the 
cocuyos, and the light thus produced is nearly equal 



252 DUE SOUTH. 

to a small candle. Some ladies wear a belt of them 
at night, ingeniously fastened about the waist, others 
a necklace, and the effect is highly amusing. In the 
ballroom they are worn in the flounces of ladies' 
dresses, where they glisten very much like diamonds 
and other precious stones. Strange to say, there is 
a natural hook near the head of the firefly, by which 
it can be attached to the dress without apparent 
injury to it. The town ladies keep little cages of 
these insects as pets, feeding them on sugar, of which 
they appear to be immoderately fond. On the plan- 
tations, when a fresh supply is desired, one has only 
to wait until evening, when hundreds can be secured 
with a thread net at the end of a pole. By holding 
a cocuyo up in the out-door air for a few moments, 
large numbers are at once attracted to the spot. In 
size they are about an inch long, and a little over an 
eighth of an inch in breadth. 

There is an insidious and much dreaded insect 
with which the planters have to contend on the 
sugar and coffee plantations, but which is not met 
with in the cities ; namely, the red ant, a much more 
formidable foe than any one not acquainted with its 
ravages would believe. These little creatures pos- 
sess a power altogether out of proportion to their in- 
significant size, eating into the heart of the hardest 
wood, neither cedar, iron- wood, nor even lignum-vitse 
being proof against them. They are not seen at the 
surface, as they never touch the outer shell of the 
wood whose heart they are consuming. A beam or 
rafter which has been attacked by them looks as 
good as when new, to the casual observer, until it is 
sounded and found to be hollow, a mere shell in fact. 
Even in passing from one piece of timber to another, 



THE CEIBA TREE. 253 

the red ant does so by covered ways, and is thus least 
seen when most busy. The timbers of an entire roof 
have been found hollowed out and deprived entirely 
of their supporting strength without the presence of 
the insect enemy being even suspected until chance 
betrayed the useless character of the supports. For 
some unknown reason, upright timbers are rarely at- 
tacked by them, but those in a reclining or horizontal 
position are their choice. These destructive red ants 
are nearly always to be found in tropical countries, as 
in India, Batavia, and Sumatra, where they build 
mounds in the jungle half the size of the natives' 
cabins. They may be seen marching like an invad- 
ing army in columns containing myriads across the 
fields of southern India. 

The interior landscape, more particularly of the 
middle district of the island, is here and there orna- 
mented by fine specimens of the ceiba, or silk- cotton 
tree, which is often seen a hundred feet in height, 
with stout and widespread branches, giving the idea 
of great firmness and stability. It sends up a mas- 
sive sinewy trunk for some fifty feet, when it divides 
into branches covered with a dense canopy of leaves, 
expanded like an umbrella, and forming a perfect 
shade against the power of the torrid sun. The 
ceiba is slow of growth, but attains to great age, spe- 
cimens thriving when Columbus first landed here 
being, as we were assured, still extant. Next to the 
royal palm, it is the most remarkable of all the trees 
which loom up beneath the brilliant purple skies of 
Cuba. The negroes have a superstition that the ceiba 
is a magic tree haunted by spirits, a singular notion 
also shared by the colored people of Nassau, though 
these two islands are so many hundreds of miles apart 



254 DUE SOUTH. 

and have never had any natural connection. There 
is certainly something weird in the loneliness and 
solitary grandeur of the tree. Next to the palm and 
ceiba in beauty and picturesqueness of effect is the 
tamarind tree, with its deep green and delicate foli- 
age, presenting a singular and curious aspect when 
thickly looped on every branch with hanging choco- 
late-colored pods. 

Under the noonday sun, sitting in the deep shade 
of some lofty ceiba, one may watch with curious eyes 
the myriads of many-hued, broad-winged butterflies, 
mingling orange, crimson, and steel-blue in dazzling 
combinations, as they flit through the ambient atmo- 
sphere with a background of shining, evergreen foli- 
age, the hum of insects and the carol of birds form 
ing a soft lullaby inviting sleep. Naturalists tell us 
that no less than three hundred distinct species of 
butterflies are found in Cuba, ranging in size from a 
common house-fly to a humming-bird. The day dies 
with a suddenness almost startling, so that one passes 
from sunshine to starlight as if by magic. Then the 
cocuyo takes up the activity of insect life, flashing its 
miniature torches over the plantations, and peeping 
out from among the dense foliage, while the stars 
sing their evening hymn of silent praise. 

The Cubans have a peculiar mode of harnessing 
their oxen, similar to that seen in the far East and 
also in some parts of Europe, as at San Sebastian, on 
the Bay of Biscay. A stout wooden bar is placed at 
the root of the horns, and so securely bound to them 
with thongs that the animal draws, or rather pushes, 
by the head and frontlet, without chafing. The 
Cuban oxen have a hole pierced in their nostrils, 
through which a metallic ring is secured, and to this 



ABOUT OXEN AND HORSES. 255 

a rope is attached, serving as reins with which to 
guide the animal. This mode of harnessing certainly 
seems to enable the oxen to bring more strength to 
bear upon the purpose for which they are employed 
than when the yoke is placed, as is the case with us, 
about the throat and shoulders. The greatest power 
of horned animals undoubtedly lies in the head and 
neck, and the question arises whether in placing the 
yoke on the neck and breast we do not get it out of 
reach of the exercise of that strength, and cause the 
animal to draw the load behind him by the mere 
force of his bodily weight and impetus. The West 
Indian animal is small, and often of the cream-col- 
ored breed, mild-eyed and docile, of which one sees 
such choice specimens in Italy and especially on the 
plains of Lombardy. 

Not quite satisfied with the conclusion first arrived 
at, we gave this subject of the harnessing of oxen a 
second consideration, and in carefully watching the 
operation of the frontlet-bar we detected at least one 
very cruel and objectionable feature in this mode of 
harnessing. The animals are necessarily so bound to 
the bar that to move their heads one way or the 
other is a simple impossibility, while our mode of 
yoking oxen leaves them very much at liberty in the 
use of their heads, thus enabling them to shake off 
flies and other biting insects which may tease them, 
whereas the eyes of a Cuban ox are often seen in- 
fested with flies which he cannot get rid of while in 
harness, however he may be beset by them. This 
alone, in a climate where biting insects swarm all the 
year round, is a most serious objection to the frontlet- 
bar as compared with the yoke. 

The Cuban horse deserves more than a mere men- 



256 DUE SOUTH. 

tion in this connection. He is a remarkably valuable 
animal, especially adapted to the climate and to the 
service required of him. Though small and delicate 
of limb he can carry a great weight, and his gait is 
not unlike that of our pacing horses, though with 
much less lateral motion, and is remarkably easy for 
the rider, certainly forming the easiest gait combined 
with rapidity of motion possessed by any breed. 
He has great power of endurance, is a small eater, 
requiring no grain as a general thing, but is satisfied 
with the green leaves and stalks of the corn, upon 
which he keeps in good condition and flesh. He is a 
docile little creature, easily taught and easily taken 
care of. The Cuban horse knows no shelter except 
the heavens above him, for there are no barns in 
Cuba ; but he will no more wander away from his 
master's door, where he stands at nearly all hours of 
the day with the saddle on his back, than would a 
favorite dog. The Montero inherits all the love of 
his Moorish ancestors for the horse, and never stirs 
abroad except upon his back. He considers himself 
established for life when he possesses a good horse, a 
sharp Toledo blade, and a pair of silver spurs. Being 
from childhood accustomed to the saddle, it is natural 
for him to be a good rider, and there are none better 
even in Arabia. He is apt to tell big stories about 
his little horse, intimating its descent direct from the 
Kochlani, or King Solomon's breed, and to endow it 
with marvelous qualities of speed and endurance. 
The Montero is never heard to boast of his wife, his 
children, or any other possession, but he does " blow " 
for his horse. 

One of this class stood beside his pony one warm 
afternoon opposite the Hotel Telegrafo, where a few 



COLOSSAL DECORATION. 257 

of the guests were seated under the broad veranda. 
The sleek, well-formed animal elicited some compli- 
mentary remarks, which gratified the owner, who 
spoke English after the style of his people. He in- 
dulged in praises of the horse, especially as to the 
ease and steadiness of his gait, and offered a bet that 
he could ride round the outside of the Campo de 
Marte on him and return to the spot where he stood, 
at ordinary speed, carrying a full glass of water with- 
out spilling a tablespoonful of the liquid ; such is 
the ease of motion of these animals trained to what is 
called the paso gualtrapeo. Four corners were to be 
turned by the Cuban, as well as half a mile of dis- 
tance accomplished. The small bet suggested was 
readily taken, and the full tumbler of water brought 
out of the house. The Cuban mounted his pony and 
rode round the park with the speed of a bird, easily 
winning his bet. 

The visitor, as he proceeds inland, will frequently 
observe on the fronts of the dwellings attempts at rep- 
resentations in colors of birds and various animals, 
resembling anything rather than what they are ap- 
parently designed to depict. The most striking char- 
acteristics are the gaudy coloring and the remark- 
able size. Pigeons present the colossal appearance of 
ostriches, and dogs are exceedingly elephantine in 
their proportions. Space would not be adequate to 
picture horses and cattle. Especially in the suburbs 
of the cities this fancy may be observed, where at- 
tempts at portraying domestic scenes present some 
original ideas as to grouping. If such ludicrous ob- 
jects were to be met with anywhere else but in Cuba 
they would be called caricatures. Here they are re- 
garded with the utmost complacency, and innocently 

17 



258 DUE SOUTH. 

considered to be artistic and ornamental. Noticing 
something of the same sort in Vevay, Switzerland, 
not long since, the author found on inquiry that it 
was the incipient art effort of a Spanish Creole, who 
had wandered thither from the island. 

The policy of the home government has been to 
suppress, so far as possible, all knowledge of matters 
in general relating to Cuba ; especially to prevent the 
making public of any statistical information regard- 
ing the internal resources, all accounts of its current 
growth, prosperity, or otherwise. Rigidly-enforced 
rules accomplished this seclusiveness for many years, 
until commercial relations with the " outside barba- 
rians " rendered this no longer possible. No official 
chart of Havana, its harbor, or that of any other 
Cuban city has ever been made public. Spain has 
seemed to desire to draw a curtain before this tropical 
jewel, lest its dazzling brightness should tempt the 
cupidity of some other nation. Notwithstanding this, 
our war department at Washington contains complete 
drawings of every important fortification, and charts 
of every important harbor in Cuba. Since 1867 we 
have been connected with Cuba by submarine cable, 
and through her with Jamaica since 1870. The lo- 
cal government exercises, however, strict surveillance 
over telegraphic communications. 

The political condition of Cuba is what might be 
expected of a Castilian colony, ruled and governed by 
such a policy as prevails here. Like the home gov- 
ernment, she presents a remarkable instance of the 
standstill policy, and from one of the most powerful 
and wealthy kingdoms of Europe, Spain has sunk to 
the position of the humblest and poorest. Other na- 
tions have labored and succeeded in the race of prog- 



THE HIDALGO SPIRIT. 259 

ress, while her adherence to ancient institutions and 
her dignified contempt for " modern innovations " 
have become a species of retrogression, which has 
placed her far below all her sister governments. The 
true Hidalgo spirit, which wraps itself up in an an- 
tique garb and shrugs its shoulders at the advance of 
other nations, still rules over the realm of Ferdinand 
and Isabella, while its high-roads swarm with gypsies 
and banditti, as tokens of decaying power. 



CHAPTER XIII. 

Consumption of Tobacco. — The Delicious Fruits of the Tropics. — 
Individual Characteristics of Cuban Fruits. — The Royal Palm. 

— The Mulberry Tree. — Silk Culture. — The Island once cov- 
ered by Forests. — No Poisonous Reptiles. — The Cuban Blood- 
hound. — Hotbed of African Slavery. — Spain's Disregard of Sol- 
emn Treaties. — The Coolie System of Slavery. — Ah-Lee draws a 
Prize. — Native African Races. — Negroes buying their Freedom. 

— Laws favoring the Slaves. — Example of St. Domingo. — Gen- 
eral Emancipation. 

The consumption of tobacco in the form of cigars 
is almost incredibly large in Cuba, and for the city of 
Havana alone it has been estimated to amount to an 
aggregate cost of five million dollars per annum. 
Every man, woman, and child appears to be addicted 
to the habit. It strikes a Northerner as rather odd 
for a lady to sit smoking her cigarette in her par- 
lor, but this is not at all rare. The men of all de- 
grees smoke everywhere, in the dwelling-house, in the 
street, in the theatre, in the cafe's, and in the counting- 
room ; eating, drinking, and truly it would also seem, 
sleeping, they smoke, smoke, smoke. At the tables 
d'h6te of the hotels it is not unusual to see a Cuban 
take a few whiffs of a cigarette between the several 
courses, and lights are burning close at hand to enable 
him to do so. If a party of gentlemen are invited to 
dine together, the host so orders that a packet of the 
finest cigarettes is frequently passed to his guests, 
with a lighted taper, in the course of the meal, and at 
its close some favorite brand of the more substantial 



CONSUMPTION OF TOBACCO. 261 

cigar is furnished to all. Thus, tobacco is consumed 
on every occasion, in the council-chamber, the court, 
at funerals, in the domestic circles, at feasts, and on 
the out-door drive. The slave and his master, the 
maid and her mistress, boy and man, all, all smoke. 
It seems odd that one does not scent Havana far out 
at sea before the land is sighted. 

We were told that gentlemen who have the means 
to procure them smoke on an average what is equiva- 
lent to a dozen cigars per day, and those of the other 
sex addicted to the habit consume half that quantity. 
Of late the larger proportion, however, takes the form 
of cigarettes, which are far more subtle in effect when 
used to excess. The consequence of this large home 
consumption, in addition to the export of the article, 
is that a very numerous class of the population is 
engaged in the manufacture, and little stores devoted 
solely to this business are plentifully sprinkled all 
about the metropolis. The imperial factory of La 
Honradez, already described, occupies a whole city 
square, and is one of its curiosities, producing from 
three to four million cigarettes per diem. This 
house enjoys special governmental protection, and 
makes its annual contribution to the royal house- 
hold of Madrid of the best of its manufactured goods. 
A snuff-taker is rarely to be met with, and few, if 
any, chew the weed, if we except the stevedores and 
foreign sailors to be seen about the shore and shipping. 
Havana has no wharves, properly speaking ; vessels 
are loaded and discharged by means of lighters or 
scows. The negroes become passionately fond of the 
pipe, inhaling into their lungs the rich, powerful nar- 
cotic and driving it out again at their nostrils in slow, 
heavy clouds, half dozing over the dreamy effect. 



262 DUE SOUTH. 

The postilion who waits for a fare upon the street 
passes half his time in this way, dreaming over his 
pipe of pure Havana, or renewing constantly his cig- 
arette. The price of manufactured tobacco in Cuba 
is about one half that which we pay for the same arti- 
cle in America, either at wholesale or retail, as ship- 
ping expenses, export duty, and import duty must be 
added to the price charged to the consumer. 

In discussing this habit one naturally looks back 
about four hundred years, recalling the amazement of 
the Spanish discoverers, when they first landed here, 
at seeing the Indians smoking a native weed which 
was called tobacco. The practice was, at that time, 
entirely unknown in Europe, though now indulged in 
as a luxury by nearly half the population of the globe. 

We have only a partial idea at the North of the 
true character of tropical fruits, since only a small 
portion of them are of such a nature as to admit of 
exportation, and such, as are forwarded to us must be 
gathered in an unripe condition in order to survive 
a short sea-voyage. The orange which we eat in 
Boston or New York, therefore, is a very different- 
flavored fruit from the same when partaken of in 
Havana or Florida. The former has been picked 
green and ripened on shipboard, as a general thing ; 
the latter was perhaps on the tree an hour before 
you ate it, ripened under its native skies and upon 
its parent stem. So of the banana, one of the most 
delightful and nutritious of all West Indian fruits, 
which grows everywhere in Cuba with prodigal pro- 
fuseness, — though we are told that as regards this 
fruit it is claimed that, like some varieties of our 
pear, it ripens as well off the tree as on it ; and the 
same is the case with some other fleshy fruits. After 



THE BANANA. 263 

the banana has attained its full growth, the final pro- 
cess of ripening commences, as it were, within itself ; 
that is to say, the fruit ceases to depend upon the 
tree for sustenance or farther development. The pulp 
becomes gradually sweetened and softened, chiefly by 
the change of the starch into more or less of soluble 
sugar. When the bananas are shipped to our North- 
ern markets they are as green as the leaves of the 
trees on which they grew. Most of us have seen 
cartloads of them in this condition landing at our 
city wharves. Placed in an even temperature and in 
darkness they will ripen and become as yellow as 
gold in a very few days. 

The banana and plantain differ from each other 
much as an apple and a potato differ ; the latter should 
always be cooked before eating, but the former may 
be either eaten raw or cooked, according to the taste. 
The banana is gathered at three different stages of 
its growth. At a quarter of its maturity it is rather 
milky, and contains much starch. Roasted in ashes, 
or boiled in water, it forms a very nourishing food, 
and is a good substitute for bread. If eaten at three 
fourths of its growth it is less nourishing, but contains 
more sugar. Lastly, when perfectly ripe, it develops 
an acrid principle, both wholesome and palatable. 
The fig banana is a favorite species, and forms a uni- 
versal dessert in the ripe state with the Creoles. A 
frequent reference is made to it in these notes because 
of its importance. The enormous productiveness of 
the plant and its nutritious character assure to the 
humble classes an abundant subsistence. People may 
go freely into the wild lands and find edible bananas 
at any time, without money and without price. In 
the cities the charge for them is so moderate that a 



264 DUE SOUTH. 

person must be poor indeed who cannot afford a lib- 
eral quantity of them daily. 

Some of the other fruits are the mango, pomegran- 
ate, pineapple, zapota, tamarind, citron, fig, cocoa, 
lemon, rose-apple, and breadfruit. Japan, India, and 
Ceylon afford nothing more fascinating or strange 
in their vegetable kingdoms than this favored isle. 
The fruits are simply wonderful in variety and per- 
fection. One eats eggs, custard, and butter off the 
trees. Though all these fruits are universally eaten, 
the orange seems to be the Creole's favorite, and if 
he be a person of even ordinary means, he seldom 
rises in the morning until he has drank his cup of 
coffee and eaten a couple of oranges, brought fresh 
and prepared for him by a servant. The practice is 
one into which the visitor falls very pleasantly, and 
finds it no less refreshing than agreeable. It seems 
to rain oranges in Havana. They are scarcely less 
cheap than the luscious banana. 

The rose-apple grows on one of the most symmet- 
rical trees in Cuba, with strong, oval, glossy leaves. 
The blossoms are large, white, and of pleasant odor, 
followed by a round fruit about as large as a well- 
developed California peach, with a smooth skin, 
cream-colored within and without. The pulp is as 
firm as a ripe seckel pear, and the taste is so strong 
of otto-of-rose that more than one at a time palls 
upon the palate. It is much used among the Cubans 
as an agreeable flavoring for soups and puddings. Of 
the fruit trees the lemon is perhaps the most attrac- 
tive to the eye ; for though small and dwarfish, yet 
it presents the flowers, small green lemons, and the 
ripe yellow fruit all together, reminding one of the 
Eastern alma. The green leaves when young are 
nearly as fragrant as the lemon verbena. 



FRUIT TREES. 265 

The mammee is a curious fruit growing on lofty, 
umbrageous trees, appearing as musk-melons would 
look if seen hanging in elm-trees. Large and high- 
flavored, the fruit is solid in texture like the Ameri- 
can quince. The flavor of the mammee resembles 
our peach, though not quite so delicate. Its color 
when ripe is a light yellow. 

The mango is nearly as abundant and prolific as 
the banana, and yet it came originally from the far 
East. It grows upon a very handsome tree, the 
leaves being long, lanceolate, polished, and hanging 
in dense masses of dark-green foliage. In size it is 
like a full-grown New England apple tree. The 
mango is about thrice the size of an egg plum, and 
when ripe is yellow in color, and grows in long pen- 
dant bunches. When this fruit is at its best it is 
very juicy, and may be sucked away like a grape. 
The negroes are immoderately fond of it, and when 
permitted to do so are apt to make themselves ill by 
their greediness. 

The cocoa-nut tree grows to the height of fifty 
feet and more, differing from the royal palm by its 
drooping nature. At its summit is a waving tuft of 
dark green, glossy, pinnate leaves, from ten to fifteen 
feet in length, like mammoth plumes, immediately un- 
der which are suspended the nuts in heavy bunches, 
often weighing three hundred pounds. When the 
nut has attained nearly its full size, it is said to be in 
the milk, and it then furnishes a delightful, cooling, 
and healthful beverage. In taste it is sweetish, and 
its effect is that of a slight diuretic. 

The sapotilla is a noble fruit tree, with feathery, 
glossy leaves. The blossoms are white and bell- 
shaped, with an agreeable perfume like an apple- 



266 DUE SOUTH. 

blossom. The fruit is round, about the size of a 
peach, the skin being rough and dark like a russet 
apple or a potato, but when fully ripe it is delicious, 
and melts away in the mouth like a custard. 

The pineapple, that king of fruits, though in itself 
presenting such a fine appearance, is the plainest of 
all in its humble manner of growth. It is found wild 
in Cuba, and there are several varieties cultivated, 
none quite equal, it seemed to us, to those found in 
Singapore and other equatorial islands. Its style of 
growth is the same in either hemisphere. It grows 
singly upon its low stem, reaching to a height of 
eighteen or twenty inches above the ground. A 
single fruit-stem pushes up from the earth, blossoms, 
and in about eighteen months from the planting it 
matures a single apple, weighing three or four pounds 
and upwards ; and what a royal fruit it is ! A field 
well covered with the yellow, ripening apples is a 
very beautiful sight. Though the plant produces but 
one apple at a time, it will continue to yield an an- 
nual crop for three or four years, if cultivated. It is 
raised from slips, planted much as our farmers set 
out young cabbages or lettuce. 

The custard-apple grows wild, but is also culti- 
vated and thereby much improved. Its color exter- 
nally is green, and it has a tough skin, is of a subacid 
flavor, and as full of little flat black seeds as a shad is 
of bones. It is much used in Cuba for flavoring 
purposes, and is soft and juicy, each specimen weigh- 
ing from a pound to a pound and a half. The star- 
apple is so called because when cut through trans- 
versely its centre presents the figure of a star. Even 
when quite ripe the interior is green in color. Its 
flavor is exquisite, like strawberries and cream, and 



FRUIT TREES. 267 

it is eaten with a spoon, the outside skin forming as 
it were a shell or cup. 

The guava tree is small and resembles our young 
cherry trees. The fruit is about the size of the lime, 
which it much resembles. It is made little use of in 
its natural condition, but is in universal demand as 
a preserve ; the jelly made from it is famous all over 
the world. When it is freshly cut, one will scent a 
whole room for hours with its distinctive flavor. 

The pomegranate, a general favorite in the torrid 
zone, flourishes in Cuba, but is seen in much greater 
perfection in Africa. It is doubtful if it is indigenous 
here, though it is now found in such abundance, and 
as much depended upon for a food supply as apples 
are with us. Doubtless the reader has seen the bush 
in bearing in our hothouses, the fruit when cut being 
full of red seeds glistening like rubies. 

The tamarind is a universal and thrifty tree in the 
island, lofty and umbrageous, a quick grower and yet 
long-lived. The fruit is contained in a pod, — like a 
full, ripe pea-pod, — covering mahogany-colored seeds. 
The pulp when ripe and fresh is as soft as marma- 
lade, and quite palatable : its flavor is sugared acid. 
Steeped in water it forms a delightful and cooling 
beverage, much used as a drink in the tropics. 

The orange, lime, lemon, and citron are too well 
known to require detailed description. The wild or 
bitter orange is much used for hedges : its deep green 
glossy foliage and its fragrant blossoms and its gold- 
en fruit make such hedges strikingly effective. The 
rind of the bitter orange is used to make a sweet- 
meat with which we are all familiar. 

More than once the Moorish garden of the Alcazar, 
at Seville, and the garden of Hesperides, at Cannes, 



268 DUE SOUTH. 

were recalled in hours of delightful wanderings among 
the orange groves of Cuba. Yet these latter are neg- 
lected, or at least not generously cultivated, no such 
care being given to them as is bestowed upon the or- 
ange orchards of Florida ; but the glowing sun and ar- 
dent breath of the tropics ask little aid from the hand 
of man in perfecting their products. The fruits and 
flowers of the American Archipelago — "air-woven 
children of light " — are not only lavishly prolific, 
but perfect of their kind. No wonder that scientists 
and botanists become poetical in their descriptions of 
these regions. 

The royal palm, so often alluded to, grows to the 
height of seventy feet, more or less. It is singular 
that it should have no substance in the interior of its 
trunk, though the outside to the thickness of a couple 
of inches makes the finest of boards, and when sea- 
soned is so hard as to turn a board-nail at a single 
stroke of the hammer. It is remarkable also that a 
palm tree which grows so high has such tiny, thread- 
like roots, which, however, are innumerable. The top 
of the palm yields a vegetable which is used as food 
and when boiled is nutritious and palatable, resem- 
bling our cauliflower. Though there are many species 
of palm in Cuba, one seldom sees the fan-palm, which 
forms such a distinctive feature in equatorial regions 
as at Penang and Singapore. 

Humboldt thought that the entire island was once 
a forest of palms, mingled with lime and orange trees. 
The mulberry tree, if not indigenous, was found here 
at so early a period that it is a matter of doubt as to 
its having been imported from other lands. It grows 
to great perfection, and has led to several attempts in 
the direction of silk-raising, the silkworm also prov- 



ABSENCE OF POISONOUS REPTILES. 269 

ing more proline even than in Japan. Some of the 
fine, hard fancy woods of Cuba were employed in the 
finish of apartments in the Eseurial palace near Ma- 
drid. Ebony, rosewood, fustic, lancewood, mahogany, 
and other choice woods are very abundant, especially 
the mahogany, which grows to enormous size. The 
exportation of them has only taken place where these 
woods were best located for river transportation to 
harbors on the coast. The interior of the island is 
so inaccessible that it has hardly been explored. 
There are fertile valleys there of two hundred miles 
in length and thirty in width, with an average temper- 
ature of 75°, a maximum of 88°, and a minimum of 
52°, thus affording a most perfect and healthful cli- 
mate, favorable to human and to vegetable life, and it 
should be remembered that malarial diseases or yel- 
low fever are unknown in the districts removed from 
the coast, and no one ever heard of sunstroke in 
Cuba. 

It is somewhat remarkable that there should be no 
poisonous animals or reptiles in the island, but so we 
were creditably informed. Snakes of various species 
abound, but are considered entirely harmless, though 
they are sometimes destructive to domestic fowls. 
During a pleasant trip between San Antonio and Al- 
quizar in a volante with a hospitable planter of that 
region, this subject happened to be under discussion, 
when we saw in the roadway a snake six or eight feet 
long, and as large round as the middle of one's arm. 
On pointing it out to our friend, he merely told us 
its species, and declared that a child might sleep with 
it unharmed. In the mean time it was a relief to see 
the innocent creature hasten to secrete itself in a lime 
hedge close at hand. Lizards, tarantulas, and cha- 



270 DUE SOUTH. 

meleons are frequently seen, but are considered to be 
harmless. One often awakes -in the morning to see 
lizards upon his chamber wall, searching for flies and 
insects, upon which they feed. 

The Cuban bloodhound, of which we hear so much, 
is not a native of the island, but belongs to an im- 
ported breed, resembling the English mastiff, though 
with larger head and limbs. He is by nature a fierce, 
bloodthirsty animal, but the particular qualities which 
fit him for tracing the runaway slaves are almost en- 
tirely acquired by careful training. This is accom- 
plished by experts in the business, who are some- 
times Monteros, and sometimes French overseers of 
plantations who are out of work or regular engage- 
ment. Each estate keeps some of these dogs as a 
precautionary measure, but they are seldom called 
into use of late, for so certain is the slave that he will 
be instantly followed as soon as missed, and inevi- 
tably traced by the hounds, that he rarely attempts 
to escape from his master unless under some pecul- 
iarly aggravating cause. It may even be doubted 
whether a slave would be pursued to-day were he to 
attempt to escape, because slavery is so very near its 
last gasp. In one respect this is an advantage to the 
negroes, since the master, feeling this indifference, 
grants the blacks more freedom of action. So per- 
fect of scent is the Cuban bloodhound that the mas- 
ter has only to obtain a bit of clothing left behind by 
the runaway and give it to the hound to smell. The 
dog will then follow the slave through a whole popu- 
lation of his class, and with his nose to the ground 
lead straight to his hiding-place. 

For three centuries Cuba has been the hotbed of 
African slavery. Few, if any, have been imported 



HOTBED OF AFRICAN SLAVERY. 271 

during the last thirty years, that is to say since 1855, 
during which year some cargoes were successfully 
run. In 1816, the Spanish government, in a solemn 
treaty, declared its conviction of the injustice of the 
slave trade. On the 23d of September, 1817, in 
consideration of four hundred thousand pounds ster- 
ling paid as an equivalent by Great Britian, Spain 
ratified a treaty proclaiming that the slave trade should 
cease throughout all the dominions of that country 
on the 30th day of May, 1820, and that it should not 
afterwards be lawful for any Spanish subject to pur- 
chase slaves. It was further declared by the home 
government that all blacks brought from Africa sub- 
sequent to that date should be at once set free, and 
the vessel on which they were transported should be 
confiscated, while the captain, crew, and others con- 
cerned should be punished with ten years' penal servi- 
tude. Yet, as all the world knows, this was nothing 
more than a dead letter so far as Cuba was concerned, 
and so late as 1845, statistics show an arrival of im- 
ported slaves from Africa of fifteen thousand negroes 
annually, for the previous twenty years. Tacon, 
Governor-General from June, 1834, until April, 1838, 
like his predecessors and successors made no secret 
of receiving seventeen dollars per head, — that is one 
doubloon, — on every slave landed. Other officials 
spent their fees on themselves or hoarded them for a 
fortune to be enjoyed on returning home to Spain, 
but Tacon expended his in beautifying Havana and 
its environs. That the home government secretly 
fostered the slave trade, notwithstanding the solemn 
treaty entered into with Great Britain, no one pre- 
tends to deny. 

The coolie system, which was latterly substituted 



272 DUE SOUTH. 

for that of the importation of Africans, was com- 
menced in 1847, but it was only slavery under an- 
other form, being in point of humanity even more 
objectionable. Fully seventy per cent, of the Chinese 
coolies died during the eight years they were bound 
by their contract to serve their masters ! Even after 
that period was completed, unjust laws and schemes 
were adopted to retain their services whenever the 
planters desired it ; but the truth is, the planters, 
after a thorough experience, were generally glad to 
get rid of the Mongolians. All of them were decoyed 
from home under false pretenses and large promises, 
and only arrived in Cuba to find themselves virtually 
slaves. But there was no help for them. They were 
thousands of miles from China, in a, land of whose 
language they knew nothing, and so they were obliged 
to submit. If after their term of service expired 
they succeeded in reaching Havana, or other Cuban 
cities, and by becoming fruit peddlers or engaging 
in any other occupation tried to earn sufficient money 
to carry them back to their native land, they still 
were brutally treated by all parties, and were ever at 
the mercy of the venal police. On the plantations 
they received perhaps a little more consideration 
than the blacks, simply because they were less trac- 
table and more dangerous on account of their greater 
degree of intelligence and keener sense of the wrong 
done them. The planter, always short of laborers, 
has heretofore been willing to pay the shipping- 
agencies four hundred dollars for a newly-arrived coo- 
lie, whose services he thus secured for eight years, 
the coolies at the expiration of the period to receive 
a mere nominal sum, out of which they have mostly 
been cheated by some means or other. The whole 



AH-LEE DRAWS A PRIZE. 273 

business of coolie importation is vile beyond measure, 
and must have included in its aggregate over three 
hundred thousand Chinese. There are still believed 
to be some sixty thousand left upon the island, most 
of whom remain because they have no means of re- 
turning to their native land. Half of these subsist 
by begging. Broken in health and spirits, they await 
the coming of that final liberator who is the last 
friend of suffering humanity. 

The Chinese are best adapted to the work of the 
cigar factories, where they excel in the occupation 
of cigar and cigarette making, and many hundreds 
are thus employed in Havana. But they are totally 
unfit for plantation labor, under the hardships of 
which their feeble frames succumb. They prove 
themselves very good servants in the cities, being 
very quick to learn, and ready to adapt themselves 
to any light occupation. A Chinaman is sly, cun- 
ning, and, to a certain degree, enterprising ; but he 
must be trusted cautiously. As a house-servant, foot- 
man, cook, or waiter he is admirable. Here, in this 
to him foreign land, he cannot suppress his instinct 
for gambling ; it seems to be born in him, and he 
will often lose in an hour the hard accumulation of 
months, or even years. As to the lottery, he is 
always the purchaser of portions of tickets at every 
drawing, and occasionally becomes a winner. A 
thrifty Chinaman, for there are some such even in 
Havana, bearing the characteristic name of Ah-Lee, 
connected with a bricabrac store on the Calzada de 
la Reina, held a lucky number in the lottery drawn 
during our brief stay at the Hotel Telegrafo. When 
the prizes were announced, he found that he was en- 
titled to five hundred dollars. The agents tried to 

18 



274 DUE SOUTH. 

pay Ah-Lee in Cuban currency, but he was too smart 
for them, and showed them their own announcement 
promising to cash all prizes, with the usual discount, 
in gold. So Ah-Lee got his prize finally in gold. 
We were told by one whose experience was exten- 
sive, and whose testimony was worthy of respect, 
that the coolies would lie and steal with such appar- 
ent innocence as to deceive the most wary, and that 
as regards their moral nature it seemed to be totally 
undeveloped. For our own part we still sympathize 
with John. He has been so outrageously cheated 
and abused from the hour when he stepped on board 
the transport ship which brought him from China up 
to the present time that he has learned the trick of 
it. If he is not strong enough to demand his rights, 
we certainly hope that he may have sufficient cunning 
to obtain them by outwitting his adversaries. 

In their slave condition the Chinese coolies and 
the negroes were at times so affected by a spirit of 
superstition as to cause them to commit suicide, the 
latter actuated, as it seemed, by a feeling of despair, 
the former through a vindictive spirit towards their 
masters. Both were also moved by a superstitious 
conviction that their spirits would at once be returned 
to their native land, to inhabit a sort of spirit para- 
dise or intermediate state between earth and heaven. 
It is very strange that so peculiar and so similar a 
belief should be indigenous in the minds of such 
distinctive races. At the period when the free im- 
portation from Africa was carried on, the most diffi- 
cult thing the planters had to contend with was a 
proneness to suicide on the part of those slaves who 
were newly imported, and who entertained this same 
remarkable idea. 



NATIVE AFRICAN RACES. 275 

Though we abhor the entire system of Cuban 
labor, yet it cannot be denied that the slaves, so far 
as material comfort goes, are better lodged, fed, and 
cared for than four fifths of the population of Ire- 
land and India, and, furthermore, this comparison 
will hold good as regards a large portion of conti- 
nental Europe. A well-fed, well-kept negro is twice 
as valuable, twice as serviceable to his master as a 
neglected one, and no one knows this better than the 
master who governs his slaves on purely mercenary 
grounds, and is yet very careful to supply liberally 
their physical wants. These slaves are descended 
from various African tribes, whose characteristics are 
so marked as to be easily discernible even by strangers. 
The Congoes are small in stature, but very agile and 
good workers, and in past years they have been a fa- 
vorite tribe. The Fantees are a larger race of negroes, 
hard to manage, and possessing a revengeful nature. 
Those from the Gold Coast are still more powerful in 
body, but are good-natured and well-liked by planters. 
The Ebros are less black than those already named, 
almost mulatto in complexion, and make favorite house 
servants. The Ashantees are of another prominent 
tribe, and are also popular as plantation hands, but 
not numerous. 

The tattooed faces, bodies, and limbs of a large 
portion of the slaves, especially of the hands upon the 
plantations, shows their African nativity, while the 
smooth skin and generally greater degree of intelli- 
gence of others show them to have been born in 
slavery upon the island. These latter are mostly 
sought for service in the cities. They are remark- 
ably healthy when not overworked, and form the 
most vigorous part of the population. When an epi- 



276 DUE SOUTH. 

demic breaks out among the blacks, it seems to carry 
them off by wholesale, proving much more fatal than 
among the whites. Cholera, small-pox, and pneu- 
monia sometimes sweep them off at a fearful rate. 
It is a curious fact that if a negro is really ill, he 
requires just twice as much medicine to affect him as 
a white person. 

There are said to be three hundred thousand free 
negroes on the island, of whom comparatively few 
are found inland upon the plantations ; they are all 
inclined to congregate in the cities and large towns, 
where, truth compels us to say, they prove to be an 
idle and vicious class, and as a body useless both to 
themselves and to the public. There are believed to 
be at present in Cuba about one hundred and forty 
thousand male and about sixty thousand female 
slaves. To carry on the great industry of the island 
as systematized by the planters, this number of hands 
is entirely inadequate. It is sometimes asked how 
there came to be so many free negroes in the island. 
It should be clearly understood that the laws which 
govern Cuba are made by the home government, not 
by the planters or natives of Cuba, and that indi- 
rectly these laws have long favored emancipation of 
the blacks. For many years any slave has enjoyed 
the right to go to a magistrate and have himself 
appraised, and upon paying the price thus set upon 
himself he can receive his free papers. The valua- 
tion is made by three persons, of whom the master 
appoints one, and the magistrate two. The slave 
may pay by installments of fifty dollars at a time, 
but he owes his full service to his master until the 
last and entire payment is made. If the valuation be 
twelve hundred dollars, after the slave has paid one 



A LAW IGNORED. 277 

hundred he owns one twelfth of himself, and the 
master eleven twelfths, and so on. Until all is paid, 
however, the master's dominion over the slave is 
complete. There has also long been another pecul- 
iar law in operation. A slave may on the same 
valuation compel his master to transfer him to any 
person who will pay the money in full, and this has 
often been done where slave and master disagree. 
This law, as will be seen, must have operated as it 
was designed to do, as a check upon masters, and as 
an inducement for them to remove special causes of 
complaint and dissatisfaction. It has also enabled 
slaveholders of the better class, in the case of ill- 
usage of blacks, to relieve them by paying down their 
appraised value and appropriating their services to 
themselves. All this relates to the past rather than 
the present, since, as we have explained, the relation- 
ship of slave and master is now so nearly at an end 
as to render such arrangements inoperative. 

There was a law promulgated in 1870, — the out- 
growth of the revolution of 1868, which dethroned 
Isabella II., — declaring every slave in Cuba to be 
free after reaching the age of sixty, and also freeing 
the children of all slaves born subsequent to that 
year. But that law has been ignored altogether, and 
was not permitted even to be announced officially 
upon the island. In the first place, few hard worked 
slaves survive to the age of sixty ; and in the second 
place, the children have no one to look after or to 
enforce their rights. Spain never yet kept troth 
with her subjects, or with anybody else, and the 
passage of the law referred to was simply a piece 
of political finesse, designed for the eye of the Euro- 
pean states, and more particularly to soothe England, 



278 DUE SOUTH. 

which country had lately showed considerable feeling 
and restlessness touching the disregard of all treaties 
between herself and Spain. 

The slaves who still remain upon the plantations 
appear in all outward circumstances to be thought- 
less and comparatively content ; their light and cheer- 
ful nature seems to lift them above the influence of 
brutal treatment when it is encountered. That they 
have been called upon to suffer much by being over- 
tasked and cruelly punished in the past, there is no 
doubt whatever, but it may be safely stated that 
their condition has been greatly improved of late. 
The owners are obliged by law to instruct the slaves 
in the Catholic faith, but this has never been heeded 
to any extent by the planters, though all the chil- 
dren are baptized in infancy. The law relative to 
the treatment of the negroes also prescribes a cer- 
tain quantity and quality of food to be regularly 
furnished to them, but the masters are generally lib- 
eral in this respect, and exceed the requirements of 
the law, as their mercenary interest is obviously in 
that direction. The masters know by experience that 
slaves will not work well unless well fed. With no 
education or culture whatever, their intelligence re- 
mains at the lowest ebb. " With plenty of food and 
sleep," said an owner to us, " they are as easily man- 
aged as any other domestic animals." 

Until latterly the slaves have been carefully watched 
at night, but nearly all these precautions against 
their escaping from servitude seem to have been 
dropped. They are no longer locked up in corral, 
their special night quarters. Of course they are kept 
within certain bounds, but the rigorous surveillance 
under which they have always lived is no longer in 



DISPARITY BETWEEN THE SEXES. 279 

force. The two sexes are nominally separated, but 
as there is no strict recognition of the marital re- 
lation, and free intercommunication between them 
really exists, the state of morality may be imagined. 
It has always been customary for mothers to receive 
certain consideration and partial relief from hard 
labor during a reasonable period prior to and sub- 
sequent to their confinement, with encouraging gifts 
from the masters, which has caused them generally 
to covet the condition of maternity. Still the propor- 
tion of female slaves on the plantations has always 
been so small, compared with that of the other sex, 
that not nearly so many children are born as would 
be supposed. Female slaves have generally been 
,/§ent to town service, even when born on the plan- 
tations. 

It has always been clearly understood that the 
births on the part of the negroes in Cuba have not 
nearly kept pace with the number of deaths among 
them, even under apparently favorable circumstances. 
One has not far to look for the reason of this. Pro- 
miscuous intercourse is undoubtedly the predisposing 
cause, which is always an outgrowth of a largely un- 
equal division of the sexes. On the plantations the 
male negroes outnumber the females ten to one. In 
the cities the males are as five to one. When the 
slave trade was carried on between Africa and the 
island, the plan was to bring over males only, but it 
was hardly practicable to adhere strictly to the rule, 
so women were not declined when a cargo was being 
made up and nearly completed. Thus a disparity 
was inaugurated which has continued to the present 
day, with only a slight equalizing tendency. 

The present plan of freeing the slaves recommends 



280 DUE SOUTH. 

itself to all persons who fully understand the position, 
and if it be honestly carried out will soon obliterate 
the crime of enforced labor upon the island. A sud- 
den freeing of the blacks, that is, all at once, would 
have been attended with much risk to all parties, 
although justice and humanity demand their libera- 
tion. France tried the experiment in St. Domingo, 
and the result was a terrible state of anarchy. Not 
only did she lose possession of the island, but the 
people settled down by degrees into all the horrors 
of African savagery, even to cannibalism. England 
followed, and generously paid the British planters of 
Jamaica for all their slaves, giving the latter uncon- 
ditional freedom. Of course this ruined the island 
commercially, but it was strict justice, nevertheless. 
Extreme measures are open to objection even in be- 
half of justice. It was hoped that the freed negroes 
of Jamaica would become thrifty and industrious, 
earning fair wages, and that crops would still be 
remunerative, but it was not so. The negro of the 
tropics will only work when he is compelled, and in 
the West Indies he has scarcely more to do, as it 
regards sustaining life, than to pluck of the wild 
fruits and to eat. The sugar plantations of Jamaica 
have simply ceased to exist. 

Every reasonable Cuban has long realized that 
the freedom of the blacks was but a question of time, 
and that it must soon be brought about, but how 
this could be accomplished without rendering them 
liable to the terrible consequences which befell St. 
Domingo was a serious problem. The commercial 
wreck of Jamaica had less terror for them as an 
example, since of late their own condition could in 
that respect hardly be worse. Therefore, the man- 



GENERAL EMANCIPATION. 281 

umitting of one slave in every four annually, so 
organized that all shall be free on January 1, 1888, 
is considered with great favor by the people gener- 
ally, except the most radical of old Spaniards. All 
are thus prepared for the change, which is so grad- 
ually brought about as to cause no great shock. It 
is not unreasonable to believe that the instantane- 
ous freeing of all the slaves would have led to mu- 
tual destruction of whites and blacks all over the 
island. 



CHAPTER XIV. 

Slave Trade with Africa. — Where the Slavers made their Landing. 

— An Early Morning "Ride. — Slaves marching to Daily Labor. — 
Fragrance of the Early Day. — Mist upon the Waters. — A Slave 
Ship. — A Beautiful but Guilty Brigantine. — A French Cruiser. — 
Cunning Seamanship. — A Wild Goose Chase. — A Cuban Posada. 

— Visit to a Coffee Estate. — Landing a Slave Cargo. — A Sight 
to challenge Sympathy and Indignation. — Half-Starved Victims. 

— Destruction of the Slave Ship. 

The author's first visit to the island of Cuba was 
during the year 1845, at a period when the slave 
traffic was vigorously, though surreptitiously carried 
on between Africa and the island. The trade was 
continued so late as 1853, and occasional cargoes were 
brought over even later, slavers having been captured 
on the south coast two years subsequent to the last 
named date. The slave vessels generally sought a 
landing on the south side, both as being nearest and 
safest for them, but when they were hard pressed 
they made a port wherever it could be most easily 
reached. A favorite point at the time of which we 
speak, was in the Bay of Broa, on the south coast, 
nearly opposite to the Isle of Pines. It was here in 
1845 that the author witnessed a scene which forms 
the theme of the following chapter. A superior 
knowledge of all the hidden bays and inlets of the 
south side gave the contrabandists great advantages 
over any pursuing vessel, and their lighter draught of 
water enabled them to navigate their small crafts 
where it was impossible for a heavy ship to follow. 



A GANG OF SLAVES. 283 

We were on a brief visit to the coffee estate of Don 
Herero, near Guines, and having expressed a desire 
to visit the southern coast, our host proposed that we 
should do so together on the following day. We 
were to start on horseback quite early in the morn- 
ing, so as to accomplish the distance before the heat 
of the sun should become oppressive. 

The early day is almost as beautiful as the even- 
ings of this region, a fact to which we were fully 
awakened at an early hour, after a refreshing night's 
sleep. Don Herero was already awaiting us on the 
broad piazza, which we reached in time to see the 
slaves, directed by an overseer, file past the house to- 
wards the field. "A couple of hours before sunrise," 
said our host, "is the best time for them to work, and 
we add these two hours to their noon rest, so that it 
divides the labor to better advantage and avoids the 
midday heat." There were perhaps seventv or eighty 
of this gang of slaves, one fifth only being women. 
Don Herero went among them and exchanged some 
pleasant words, mostly with the women, one of whom, 
evidently in a delicate situation, he singled out and 
led aside, directing her to return to the huts. It 
seemed that she had prepared to go to the field, but 
he did not approve of it, and she acquiesced good na- 
turedly. It was observed also that he gave her a 
piece of money with a pleasant word, bidding her to 
purchase some coveted piece of finery, — probably a 
gaudy " bandana," of whose bright colors the negro 
women are very fond, binding them turban-fashion 
about their curly heads. Another passion among 
the Cuban negresses is a desire for large hoop ear- 
rings. Silver, or even brass will answer, if gold can- 
not be obtained. 



284 DUE SOUTH. 

As we rode off that delicious morning towards our 
destination, mounted upon a couple of bright little 
easy-going Cuban ponies, with their manes and tails 
roached (that is, trimmed closely, after a South Amer- 
ican fashion), the cool, fresh air was as stimulating 
as wine. At first we passed down the long avenue of 
palms which formed the entrance of the plantation, 
and which completely embowered the road, like the 
grand old oaks one sometimes sees lining the ave- 
nues to rural English estates. The delicious fragrance 
of the morning atmosphere, still moist with dew, the 
richness of the foliage, and the abundance of fruit 
and flowers were charming beyond description. We 
glided along at an easy gait over the roads, which 
in this thickly populated district were smooth and 
admirably kept, lined on either side by hedges of 
the flowering aloe, intermingled with many , sweet- 
scented shrubs, all trimmed with mathematical pre- 
cision. But the gayest and prettiest hedges were 
composed of the bitter orange, all aglow with small 
yellow fruit, hanging in almost artificial regularity 
and abundance. This immediate district was at that 
time in possession of wealthy owners, who vied with 
each other in rendering their surroundings attractive 
to the eye. Now and again we met little gangs of 
trusted slaves, who had been sent out on special er- 
rands, all of whom recognized Don Herero, and made 
him a respectful obeisance, which he very carefully 
returned. There is a strict degree of etiquette sus- 
tained in regard to these small matters between the 
slaves and whites, which goes far in maintaining re- 
spect and discipline. 

A ride of a couple of leagues or more brought us 
finally to a gentle rise of ground, which opened to our 



MIST UPON THE WATERS. 285 

view the ocean, and a line of coast extending for 
many miles east and west. It was still quite early, 
and a morning mist hung over the quiet Caribbean 
Sea, which stretches away southward towards the Isle 
of Pines and the more distant isle of Jamaica. A 
gentle breeze began at that moment to disperse the 
mist and gradually in conjunction with the sun to 
lift the veil from the face of the waters. For a con- 
siderable time, however, only a circumscribed view 
was to be had, but Don Herero observed that the mist 
was quite unusual ; indeed, that he had seen such a 
phenomenon but once or twice before on Cuban 
shores. He assured us that with the exercise of a 
little patience we should soon be rewarded by a clear 
and extensive view. So dismounting and lighting our 
cigars we leaned upon the saddles of the horses and 
watched the wreaths of the mist bank gradually 
dissolving. To the eastward there jutted out a prom- 
ontory with a considerable elevation, behind which 
the sun began to show his florid countenance. Pres- 
ently the indistinct outline of a graceful tracery of 
spars and cordage greeted the eye through the misty 
gauze, growing steadily more and more distinct and 
gradually descending towards the sea level, until at 
last there lay before us in full view, with a look of 
treacherous tranquillity, the dark, low hull of a brigan- 
tine. 

" A slaver ! " was the mutual and simultaneous ex- 
clamation which burst from our lips as we gazed 
intently on the small but symmetrical vessel. 

Don Herero looked particularly intelligent, but 
said nothing. There could be no doubt as to the 
trade which engaged such a clipper craft. No legiti- 
mate commerce was suggested by her appearance, no 



286 DUE SOUTH. 

honest trade demanded such manifest sacrifice of 
carrying capacity. It was very natural that her 
guilty character should add interest to her appearance 
and cause us to examine her very minutely. A short 
distance from where we stood there was gathered a 
group of a dozen or more persons, who silently re- 
garded the brigantine, but they evinced no surprise 
at her appearance there so close to the shore. She 
was of a most graceful model, perfect in every line, 
with bows almost as sharp as a knife. The rig was 
also quite unusual and entirely new to us. Her deck 
was flush fore and aft. Not so much as an inch of 
rise was allowed for a quarter-deck, a style which 
gave large stowage capacity below deck, the level of 
which came up to within a couple of feet of the cap- 
pings of the bulwarks. As we have before intimated, 
it required no interpreter to indicate what business 
the brigantine was engaged in. A single glance at 
her, lying in so unfrequented a place, was enough. 
The rakish craft was of Baltimore build, of about two 
hundred tons measurement, and, like many another 
vessel turned out by the Maryland builders, was de- 
signed to make successfully the famous middle pas- 
sage to or from the coast of Cuba, loaded with kid- 
napped negroes from the shores of Africa. The two 
requisites of these clippers were great speed and large 
stowage capacity for a human freight. 

At first it appeared as though Don Herero had 
purposely brought us here to witness the scene, but 
this he insisted was not the case, declaring that the 
presence of the slaver was a surprise to him. Be 
that as it may, it was clear that a cargo of negroes 
was about to be landed, and certain rapid signals 
had been exchanged by flags from a neighboring hut 



A SLAVE SHIP. 28 T 

ever since the mist lifted. Repulsive as the idea was 
to a Northerner, still it would' do no good to avoid 
the sight, and so we resolved to witness the disem- 
barkation. Our friend, though a slaveholder, was so 
more by force of circumstances than through his own 
choice ; he did not defend the institution at all. His 
solemn convictions were entirely against slavery, and 
he more than once said he heartily wished that some 
means might be devised which should gradually and 
effectually relieve the planters from the entire sys- 
tem and its many troubles. Don Herero now lies in 
one of the tombs in the Campo Santo, near Havana, 
but were he living he would doubtless rejoice at the 
present manner of solving a question which was so 
involved in perplexity during the last of his days. 

While we were exchanging some remarks upon the 
subject, our attention was suddenly drawn towards 
another striking object upon the waters of the bay. 

Nearly a league beyond the slaver, looming up 
above the mist, we could now make out three top- 
masts, clearly defined, the stately set of which, with 
their firm and substantial rig, betrayed the fact that 
there floated beneath them the hull of a French or 
an English man-of-war, such as was commissioned at 
that time to cruise in these waters for the purpose of 
intercepting and capturing the vessels engaged in the 
African slave trade. 

" A cruiser has scented the brigantine," said Don 
Herero. 

" It certainly appears so," we affirmed. 

"Unless there be sharp eyes on board the little 
craft, the cruiser will be down upon her before her 
people even suspect their danger." 

" The brigantine can hardly escape, at any rate," 
we suggested. 



288 DUE SOUTH. 

" Don't be too sure," said Don Herero. 

It was impossible for our friend to suppress the 
nervous anxiety which so manifestly actuated him as 
he viewed the new phase of affairs. 

" Look ! Look ! " he exclaimed. 

While he spoke, a drapery of snow-white canvas 
fell like magic from the spars of the slaver, ready to 
catch the first breath of the breeze which the stran- 
ger was bringing down with him, though the larger 
vessel was still partially wrapped in a thin bank or 
cloud of fog. A couple of long sweeps were rigged 
out of either bow of the brigantine, and her prow, 
which just before was heading shoreward, was swung 
to seaward, while her canvas was trimmed to catch 
the first breath of the on-coming breeze. 

" This looks like business," said Don Herero with 
emphasis, at the same time shading his eyes with 
both hands to get a better view of the situation. 

" Can you define the new-comer's nationality ? " 
we asked. 

" Not yet." 

" See ! she is now in full sight." 

" French ! " exclaimed Don Herero, as the tri-col- 
ors were clearly visible hanging from her peak. 

" What will the cruiser do with the brigantine ? " 
we asked. 

" First catch your hare," said our friend. 

Our host then explained that the slaver had evi- 
dently intended to land her cargo under cover of the 
night, but had been prevented by the mist from com- 
ing to anchor in time. Fog, being so seldom known 
on this coast, had not entered into their calculations. 
She had most likely felt her way towards the shore 
by soundings, and was waiting for full daylight when 
we discovered her. 



A FRENCH CRUISER 289 

While this explanation was being made, the brig- 
antine had already got steerage way upon her, aided 
by the steady application of the sweeps, and her 
sharp bow was headed off shore. Nothing on the 
sea, unless it were a steamer, could hold speed with 
these fly-away s, which were built for just such emer- 
gencies as the present. The gradually freshening 
breeze had now dispersed the mist, and the two ves- 
sels were clearly in view from the shore and to each 
other. The remarkable interest of the scene increased 
with each moment. Don Herero, with all the excita- 
bility of his nationality, could hardly contain himself 
as he walked rapidly back and forth, always keeping 
his eyes towards the sea. 

The cruiser had come down under an easy spread 
of canvas, wearing a jib, three topsails, fore, main, and 
mizzen, and her spanker. It did not appear as if she 
had any previous intimation of the presence of the 
slaver, but rather that she was on the watch for just 
such a quarry as chance had placed within reach of 
her guns. The moment she discovered the brigantine, 
and at a signal which we could not hear upon the 
land, a hundred dark objects peopled her shrouds and 
spars, and sail after sail of heavy duck was rapidly 
dropped and sheeted home, until the mountain of 
canvas began to force the large hull through the water 
with increasing speed. 

In the mean time the lesser craft had been by no 
means idle. In addition to the regular square and 
fore and aft sails of a brigantine, she had a mizzen- 
mast stepped well aft not more than four feet from 
her taffrail, upon which she had hoisted a spanker 
and gaff-topsail, thus completing a most graceful and 
effective rig, and spreading a vast amount of canvas 

19 



290 DUE SOUTH. 

for a vessel of her moderate tonnage. It was quite 
impossible to take one's eyes off the two vessels. It 
was a race for life with the slaver, whose people 
worked with good effect at the sweeps and in trim- 
ming their sails to make the most out of the light 
but favorable wind that was filling them. The larger 
vessel would have made better headway in a stiff 
breeze or half a gale of wind, but the present moder- 
ate breeze favored the guilty little brigantine, which 
was every moment forging ahead and increasing the 
distance between herself and her enemy. 

" Do you see that commotion on the cruiser's bow ? " 
asked our friend eagerly. 

" Some men are gathered on the starboard bow," 
was our answer. 

" Ay, and now she runs out a gun ! " 

That was plain enough to see. The cruiser trained 
a bow-chaser to bear on the slaver, and the boom of 
the gun came sluggishly over the sea a few sec- 
onds after the puff of smoke was seen. A quick eye 
could see the dash of the shot just astern of the brig- 
antine, where it must have cast the spray over her 
quarter-deck. After a moment's delay, as if to get 
the true range, a second, third, and fourth shot fol- 
lowed, each ricochetting through and over the slight 
waves either to starboard or port of the slaver, without 
any apparent effect. The brigantine, still employing 
her sweeps, and with canvas well trimmed, took no 
notice of the shots. 

Every time the gun was discharged on board the 
cruiser, it became necessary to fall off her course just 
a point or two in order to get a proper aim, and her 
captain was quick to see the disadvantage of this, as 
he was 6nly assisting the slaver to widen the distance 



A WILD GOOSE CHASE. 291 

between them. It would seem to the uninitiated to 
be the easiest thing possible to cripple the brigantine 
by a few well directed shots, but when sailing in the 
wake of an enemy this is by no means so easily done. 
Besides, the distance between the two vessels, which 
was considerable, was momentarily increasing. Not- 
withstanding that the broad spread of canvas on board 
the slaver made her a conspicuous mark, still, so far 
as could be seen or judged of by her movements, she 
remained untouched by half a dozen shots, more or 
less, which the cruiser sent after her as she slipped 
away from her big adversary. We could even see 
that the sweeps were now taken in, showing that the 
master of the slaver considered the game to be in his 
own hands. 

" The brigantine steers due south," said our friend, 
rubbing his hands together eagerly. " She will lead 
the Frenchman a wild goose chase among the Cay- 
man Isles, where he will be most likely to run aground 
with his heavy draught of water. The sea round 
about for leagues is underlaid by treacherous coral 
reefs. We shall see, we shall see," he reiterated. 

" But they must certainly have a good pilot on 
board the cruiser," we ventured to say. 

"Undoubtedly," replied Don Herero, "but the 
brigantine is built with a centre-board, thus having, 
as it were, a portable keel, and can sail anywhere 
that a man could swim, while the cruiser, with all her 
armament, must draw nearly three fathoms. A ship 
will sometimes follow a chase into dangerous water." 

"True," we responded, "the brigantine's safety 
lies in seeking shoal water." 

" You are right, and that will be her game." 

In half an hour both vessels were hull down in the 



292 DUE SOUTH. 

offing, and were soon invisible from our point of view. 
The early ride and subsequent excitement bad devel- 
oped in us a healthy appetite, and we were strongly 
reminded of the fact that we had not breakfasted. 
We were near the little hamlet of Lenore, where 
there was a small inn, which we had passed on the way, 
and towards which we now turned our horses' heads. 
A breakfast of boiled eggs, fried plantains, and cof- 
fee was prepared for us and well served, much to our 
surprise, supplemented by a large dish of various 
fruits, ripe and delicious. Don Herero had left us for 
a few moments while the breakfast was preparing, 
and it must have been owing to his intelligent instruc- 
tions that we were so nicely served, for, as a rule, 
country posadas in Cuba are places to be avoided, be- 
ing neither cleanly nor comfortable. For strangers 
they are not entirely safe, as they are frequented by 
a very rough class of people. These idlers do not 
indulge in spirituous liquors to excess, partaking only 
of the light Cataline wine in universal use both in 
Spain and her colonies. Intemperance is little seen 
outside the large cities, but gambling and quarreling 
are ever rampant among the class who frequent these 
posadas. In the present instance there were a dozen 
and more individuals in the Lenore inn who were 
more or less connected with the expected arrival of 
the slave brigantine, and the disappointment caused 
by the arrival upon the scene of the French cruiser 
had put them all in a very bad humor. Angry words 
were being exchanged among them in the large re- 
ception apartment, and Don Herero suggested that 
we should finish our cigars under an inviting shade 
in the rear of the posada. 

At our host's suggestion a neighboring coffee plan- 



THE CLOSING ACT. 293 

tation was visited, and its floral and vegetable beauties 
thoroughly enjoyed. It was in the very height of 
fragrance and promise, the broad expanse of the 
plantation, as far as the eye could extend, being in 
full bloom. Some hours were agreeably passed in 
examining the estate, the slaves' quarters, and the 
domestic arrangements, and also in partaking of the 
hospitalities of the generous owner, after which we 
rode back to Lenore. 

"We must not miss the closing act of our little 
drama," said Don Herero, significantly. 

" The closing act ? " we inquired. 

" Certainly. You do not suppose we have yet done 
with the brigantine ? " 

" Oh, the brigantine. Will she dare to return, now 
the cruiser has discovered her ? " 

" Of course she will, after dropping her pursuer. 
Strange that these French cruisers do not understand 
these things better ; but so it is." 

And Don Herero explained that the French cruisers 
watched the southern coasts of the island, while the 
English cruised on the northern shore, attempted to 
blockade it, and also cruised farther seaward, on the 
line between Africa and Cuba. A couple of Ameri- 
can men-of-war, engaged in the same purpose of 
suppressing the slave trade, patrolled the African 
coast. It was nearly night before we got through 
our dinner at the posada. Just as we were preparing 
to leave the table, the landlord came in and announced 
to Don Herero that if we desired to witness the close 
of the morning's business in the bay, we must hurry 
up to the plateau. 

We hastened to our former position, reaching it 
just in time to see the brigantine again rounding the 



294 DUE SOUTH. 

headland. She now ran in close to the shore, where 
there seemed to be hardly water sufficient to float her, 
but the exactness and system which characterized her 
movements showed that her commander was not a 
stranger to the little bay in which he had brought 
his vessel. All was instantly bustle and activity, both 
on board and on shore. There were not more than 
twenty people to be seen at the shore, but each one 
knew his business, and went about it intelligently. 
There was no more loud talking or disputation. 
These men, all armed, were accustomed to this sort 
of thing, and had evidently been awaiting the slav- 
er's arrival for some days. They were a rough-look- 
ing set of desperadoes, among whom we recognized 
several who had been at the posada. 

The brigantine was quickly moored as near to the 
shore as possible, and a broad gangway of wood was 
laid from her deck to a projecting rock, over which 
a long line of dark objects was hurried, like a flock 
of sheep, and nearly as naked as when born into the 
world. We walked down to the landing-place, in 
order to get a closer view. The line of human beings 
who came out from below the deck of the slaver were 
mostly full-grown men, but occasionally a woman or 
a boy came out and hastened forward with the rest. 
As we drew nearer, one or two of the women, it was 
observed, had infants in their arms, little unconscious 
creatures, sound asleep, and so very young that they 
must have been born on the voyage. How the 
entire scene appealed to our indignation and sympa- 
thy ! What misery these poor creatures must have 
endured, cooped up for twenty-one days in that cir- 
cumscribed space ! They were all shockingly ema- 
ciated, having sustained life on a few ounces of rice 



LANDING A SLAVE CARGO. 295 

and a few gills of water daily distributed to them. 
The atmosphere, thoroughly poisoned when so con- 
fined, had proved fatal to a large number. As we 
stood there, one dark body was passed up from below 
the deck and quietly dropped into the bay. Life was 
extinct. It was quite impossible to suppress a shud- 
der as we looked upon the disgraceful scene, which 
being observed Don Herero said, — 

" They look bad enough now, but a few days in 
the open air, with a plenty of fresh vegetables, fruits, 
and sweet water to drink, will bring them round. 
They will get a good bath directly at the first river 
they cross, which is the thing they most require." 

While our friend was speaking, four tall, gaunt, 
fierce-looking negroes passed us, shackled two by two 
at the wrists. Their eyes rolled curiously about, full 
of wonder at all they saw, everything was to them so 
strange. They knew no more than children just born 
what was in store for them. 

" Poor fellows ! " we ejaculated. Perhaps they 
detected sympathy in the tone of voice in which the 
words were uttered. They could not understand 
their purport, but all four were observed to turn 
their eyes quickly towards us, with an intelligent 
expression. 

" These are Ashantees," said Don Herero. " They 
have thriven but poorly on their small allowance of 
nourishment, but they will improve rapidly like the 
rest, now they have landed. They belong to a power- 
ful tribe in Africa, and are rarely captured and sold 
to the factories on the coast. They are sturdy and 
serviceable fellows, but they must be humored. The 
lash will not subdue them. They bring a high price 
in Havana for harbor workers." 



296 DUE SOUTH. 

Hastening back to the posada, a large basket of 
cassava bread and an abundance of ripe bananas and 
oranges, with half a dozen bottles of wine, were pro- 
cured. With these, carried by a couple of colored 
boys, we hastened back to the landing-place in time 
to distribute the refreshments to all the women and 
boys. The balance of the provisions were dealt out 
to the few men who had not already been hurried 
away from the spot. It is impossible to describe the 
surprise and grateful expression upon those dusky 
faces among the half-famished creatures, as they 
eagerly swallowed a portion of the wine, and ate freely 
of the delicious fruit and nourishing bread. 

We were told afterwards that there were about 
three hundred and fifty of these poor creatures origi- 
nally embarked, and over three hundred were landed. 
Perhaps between thirty and forty had died on the 
passage, unable to sustain life under such awful cir- 
cumstances, packed, as they necessarily were, almost 
like herring in a box. Once a day, in fair weather, 
thirty or forty at a time were permitted to pass a 
half hour on deck. That was all the respite from 
their confinement which they enjoyed during the 
three weeks' voyage. The horrors of the "middle 
passage " have not been exaggerated. 

" They must have lost many of their number by 
death, on the voyage," we suggested to Don Herero, 
as we observed their weak and tremulous condition. 

" Doubtless," was the response. 

" And what do they do in that case ? " 

" They have the ocean always alongside," was his 
significant reply. 

" They throw them over as they did that body just 
now ? " we asked. 



ALL ON SHORE. 297 

" Exactly. And many a poor sick creature is cast 
into the sea before life is extinct," lie continued. 

" That is adding murder to piracy," was our nat- 
ural and indignant rejoinder. 

" Hush ! " said Don Herero, " these are sensitive 
people, and desperate ones, as well. I should find it 
difficult to protect you if they were to overhear and 
understand such words." 

We realized that his remarks were true enough. 
We were in a land of slavery, and that meant that 
everything evil was possible. 

The last of the living freight had been landed, and 
arranged in marching trim they were turned with 
their faces inland, staggering as they went, their 
swollen and cramped limbs hardly able to sustain 
the weight of their bodies. They were all secured 
with handcuffs, twenty in a lot, between whom, — 
there being ten on a side, — a pole was placed, and 
each was fastened by a chain running through the 
steel handcuffs to the pole. An armed Spaniard di- 
rected each lot. The faces of all were quite expres- 
sionless. They had just endured such horrors packed 
beneath the deck of the brigantine that the present 
change must have been welcome to them, lame as 
they were. 

We had been so completely engaged in watching 
the colored gangs and in moving up to our lookout 
station of the early morning that our thoughts had 
not reverted to anything else, but as the last lot filed 
by there boomed over the waters of the bay the 
heavy report of a gun, at once calling our attention 
seaward, A change had come over the scene. That 
which has taken some space to relate had transpired 
with great rapidity. Night had settled over the 



298 DUE SOUTH. 

scene, but the moon and stars were so marvelously 
bright as to render objects almost as plain as by day. 
The ocean lay like a sheet of silver, luminous with the 
reflected light poured upon it by the sparkling skies. 
Looking towards the southeast, we saw the French 
cruiser rounding the headland which formed the east- 
ern arm of the little bay, and she had already sent a 
shot across the water aimed at the brigantine. Don 
Herero had prognosticated correctly. The slaver had 
led the cruiser a fruitless chase and lost her among 
the islands, and then returning to her former anchor- 
age had successfully discharged her cargo. Her tac- 
tics could not have been anticipated by the cruiser, 
yet had an armed party been left behind in boats, 
the brigantine might have been captured on her re- 
turn. But then again, if the cruiser had left a por- 
tion of her crew at this point, the slaver would have 
been notified by the friends on shore, and would have 
sought a landing elsewhere. 

The brigantine had cast off her moorings and was 
now standing seaward, with her sails filled. We 
could distinctly see a quarter boat leave her side 
manned by some of her crew, who at once pulled to- 
wards the nearest landing. At the same time a bright 
blaze sprang up on board the slaver just amidships, 
and in a moment more it crept, like a living serpent, 
from shroud to shroud and from spar to spar, until 
the graceful brigantine was one sheet of flame ! It 
was dazzling to look upon, even at the distance where 
we stood, the body of high-reaching flame being 
sharply defined against the background of sky and 
blue water. 

While we watched the glowing view the cruiser 
cautiously changed her course and bore away, for fire 



DESTRUCTION OF THE SLAVE SHIP. 299 

was an enemy with which she could not contend. 
Presently there arose a shower of blazing matter 
heavenward, while a confused shock and a dull rum- 
bling report rilled the atmosphere, as the guilty brig- 
antine was blown to atoms ! Hemmed in as she was 
there could be no hope of escape. Her mission was 
ended, and her crew followed their usual orders, to 
destroy the ship rather than permit her to fall a prize 
to any government cruisers. 



CHAPTER XV. 

Antique Appearance of Everything. — The Yeomen of Cuba. — A 
Montero's Home. — Personal Experience. — The Soil of the Isl- 
and. — Oppression by the Government. — Spanish Justice in Ha- 
vana. — Tax upon the Necessities of Life. — The Proposed Treaty 
with Spain. — A One-Sided Proposition. — A Much Taxed People. 
— Some of the Items of Taxation. — Fraud and Bankruptcy. — 
The Boasted Strength of Moro Castle. — Destiny of Cuba. — A 
Heavy Annual Cost to Spain. — Political Condition. — Pictures of 
Memory. 

Everything in Cuba has an aspect of antiquity 
quite Egyptian. The style of the buildings is not un- 
like that of the Orient, while the trees and vegetable 
products increase the resemblance. The tall, majestic 
palms, the graceful cocoanut trees, the dwellings of 
the lower classes and many other peculiarities give 
to the scenery an Eastern aspect quite impressive. It 
is impossible to describe the vividness with which 
each object, artificial or natural, house or tree, stands 
out in the clear liquid light where there is no haze to 
interrupt the view. Indeed, it is impossible to ex- 
press how essentially everything differs in this sunny 
island from our own country. The language, the 
people, the climate, the manners and customs, the 
architecture, the foliage, the flowers, all offer broad 
contrasts to what the American has so lately left be- 
hind him. It is but a long cannon shot, as it were, 
off our southern coast, yet once upon its soil the 
stranger seems to have been transported to another 
quarter of the globe. It would require but little ef- 



THE AFRICAN POPULATION. 301 

fort of the imagination to believe one's self in distant 
Syria, or some remoter part of Asia. 

One never tires of watching the African popula- 
tion, either in town or country. During the hours 
which the slaves are allowed to themselves, they are 
oftenest seen working on their own allotted piece of 
ground, where they raise favorite fruits and vegeta- 
bles, besides corn for fattening the pig penned up 
near by, and for which the drover who regularly vis- 
its the plantations will pay them in good hard money. 
Thus it has been the case, in years past, that thrifty 
slaves have earned the means of purchasing their free- 
dom, after which they have sought the cities, and 
have swelled the large numbers of free negroes who 
naturally tend towards these populous centres. Some 
become caleseros, some labor upon the water-front of 
the town as stevedores, porters, and the like, but the 
majority are confirmed idlers. In the cities even the 
slaves have always had a less arduous task to per- 
form than those on the plantations. They are less 
exposed to the sun, and are as a rule allowed more 
freedom and privileges. The women never fail to 
exhibit the true negro taste for cheap jewelry. A few 
gaudy ribbons and a string of high-colored glass beads 
about the neck are greatly prized by them. Some- 
times the mistress of a good looking negress takes 
great pleasure in decking her immediate attendant 
in grand style, with big gold finger rings, large hoop 
earrings, wide gold necklace, and the like. A bright 
calico gown and a flaring bandana kerchief bound 
about the head generally complete the costume of 
these petted slaves. There was one sight observed 
in the church of Santa Clara of significance in this 
connection. Before the altar all distinction ceased, 



302 DUE SOUTH. 

and the negress knelt on the same bit of carpet be- 
side the mistress. 

The native soil of Cuba is so rich that a touch of 
the hoe prepares it for the plant. It is said to be 
unsurpassed in the world in this respect, and only 
equaled by Australia. The Monteros have little more 
to do than to gather produce, which they carry daily 
to the nearest market, and which also forms their own 
healthful and palatable food. Nowhere are the ne- 
cessities of life so easily supplied, or are men so deli- 
cately nurtured. And yet to our Northern eye these 
Monteros seemed rather a forlorn sort of people, 
forming a class by themselves, and regarded with 
disdain by the Spaniards and most Creoles, as our 
Southern slaveholders used to regard the poor whites 
of the South. If one may judge by appearances they 
are nearly as poor in purse as they can be. Their 
home, rude and lowly, consists generally of a cabin 
with a bamboo frame, covered by a palm-leaf roof, 
and with an earthen floor. There are a few broken 
hedges, and numbers of ragged or naked children. 
Pigs, hens, goats, all stroll ad libitum in and out of 
the cabin. The Montero's tools — few and poorly 
adapted — are Egyptian-like in primitiveness, while 
the few vegetables are scarcely cultivated at all. 
The chaparral about his cabin is low, tangled, and 
thorny, but it is remarkable what a redeeming effect 
a few graceful palms impart to the crudeness of the 
picture. 

The Montero raises, perhaps, some sweet potatoes, 
which, by the bye, reach a very large size in Cuban 
soil. He has also a little patch of corn, but such 
corn. When ripe it is only three or four feet in 
height, or less than half the average of our New 



A MONTERO'S HOME. 303 

England growth, the ears mere nubbins. This corn 
grows, however, all the year round, and is fed green 
to horses and cattle. All this is done upon a very 
small scale. No one lays in a stock of anything per- 
ishable. The farmer's or the citizen's present daily 
necessities alone are provided for. Idleness and to- 
bacco occupy most of the Montero's time, varied by 
the semi-weekly attractions of the cock-pit. The 
amount of sustaining food which can be realized 
from one of these little patches of ground, so utterly 
neglected, is something beyond credence to those 
who have not looked bountiful nature in the face 
in Cuba. 

While traveling in the vicinity of Guines, the 
author stopped at one of these lonely Montero homes 
to obtain water and refreshment for his horse. These 
were promptly furnished in the form of a pail of 
water and a bundle of green cornstalks. In the 
mean time the rude hospitality of the cabin was 
proffered to us, and we gladly sat down to partake 
of cocoanut milk and bananas. One of the family 
pets of the cabin consisted of a tall white bird of the 
crane species, which, regardless of goat, kid, hens, 
chickens, and children, came boldly to our side as 
though accustomed to be petted, and greedily de- 
voured the banana which was peeled for him and cut 
into tempting bits. One wing had evidently been 
cut so that the bird could not fly away, but his 
long, vigorous legs would have defied pursuit, had 
he desired to escape. Four children, two of each 
sex, two of whom were white and two mulatto, quite 
naked, and less than ten years of age, kept close to 
the Montero's Creole wife, watching us with big, 
wondering eyes, and fingers thrust into their mouths. 



304 DUE SOUTH. 

What relationship they bore to the household was 
not clearly apparent. On rising to depart and at- 
tempting to pay for the entertainment, the master of 
the cabin, with true Cuban hospitality, declined all 
remuneration ; but a handful of small silver divided 
among the children satisfied all, and we parted with 
a hearty pressure of the hand. 

The richest soil of the island is black, which is 
best adapted to produce the sugar-cane, and is mostly 
devoted, if eligibly located, to that purpose. To a 
Northerner, accustomed to see so much enrichment 
expended upon the soil to force from it an annual 
return, this profuseness of unstimulated yield is a 
surprise. The red soil of Cuba, which is impreg- 
nated with the oxide of iron, is less rich, and is bet- 
ter adapted to the coffee plantation. The mulatto- 
colored earth is considered to be inferior to either of 
the others named, but is by no means unproductive, 
being preferred by the tobacco growers, who, how- 
ever, often mingle a percentage of other soils with 
it, as we mingle barnyard refuse with our natural 
soil. Some tobacco planters have resorted by way of 
experiment to the use of guano, hoping to stimulate 
the native properties of the soil, but its effect was 
found to be not only exhausting to the land, but also 
bad for the leaf, rendering it rank and unfit for 
delicate use. 

Coal is found near Havana, though it is of rather 
an inferior quality, and, so far as we could learn, is 
but little used, the planters depending mostly upon 
the refuse of the cane with which to run their boilers 
and engines. Trees have been only too freely used 
for fuel while accessible, but great care is now taken 
to utilize the cane after the juice is expressed. Trees, 



OPPRESSION BY THE GOVERNMENT. 305 

which are so much needed in this climate for shade 
purposes, have mostly disappeared near Havana. 
When Columbus first landed here he wrote home to 
Spain that the island was so thickly wooded as to be 
impassable. 

The lovely climate and beautiful land are rendered 
gloomy by the state of oppression under which they 
suffer. The exuberant soil groans with the burdens 
which are heaped upon it. The people are not safe 
from prying inquiry at bed or board. Their every 
action is watched, their slightest words noted and 
perhaps distorted. They can sing no song of liberty, 
and even to hum an air wedded to republican verse 
is to provoke suspicion. The press is muzzled by 
the iron hand of power. Two hours before a daily 
paper is distributed on the streets of Havana, a copy 
must be sent to the government censor. When it is 
returned with his indorsement it may be issued to 
the public. The censorship of the telegraph is also as 
rigorously enforced. Nor do private letters through 
the mails escape espionage. No passenger agent in 
Havana dares to sell a ticket for the departure of 
a stranger or citizen without first seeing that the 
individual's passport is indorsed by the police. For- 
eign soldiers fatten upon the people, or at least they 
eat out their substance, and every town near the 
coast is a garrison, every interior village a military 
depot. 

Upon landing, if well advised, one is liberal to the 
petty officials. Chalk is cheap. A five-dollar gold- 
piece smooths the way wonderfully, and causes the 
inspector to cross one's baggage with his chalk and 
no questions asked. No gold, no chalk ! Every arti- 
cle must be scrupulously examined. It is cheapest 
20 



806 DUE SOUTH. 

to pay, humiliating as it is, and thus purchase im- 
munity. 

As a specimen of the manner in which justice is 
dispensed in Havana to-day, a case is presented 
which occurred during our stay at the Telegrafo 
Hotel. A native citizen was waylaid by three men 
and robbed of his pocket-book and watch, about fifty 
rods from the hotel, at eight o'clock in the evening. 
The rascal who secured the booty, threatening his vic- 
tim all the while with a knife at his throat, instantly 
ran away, but the citizen succeeded in holding on to 
the other two men until his outcries brought the 
police to the spot. The two accomplices were at once 
imprisoned. Three days later they were brought 
before an authorized court, and tried for the robbery. 
Being taken red-handed, as it were, one would sup- 
pose their case was clear enough, and that they would 
be held until they gave up their accomplice. Not so, 
however. The victim of the robbery, who had lost 
a hundred and sixty dollars in money and a valuable 
gold watch, was coolly rebuked for carrying so much 
property about his person, and the case was dis- 
missed! Had the sufferer been a home Spaniard 
possibly the result would have been different. The 
inference is plain and doubtless correct, that the 
official received half the stolen property, provided he 
would liberate the culprits. Sometimes, as we were 
assured, the victim outbids the rogues, and exem- 
plary punishment follows ! 

Flour of a good commercial quality sells at present 
in Boston for six dollars per barrel. Why should it 
cost fourteen dollars in Havana and other ports of 
Cuba ? Because Spain demands a tax of one hun- 
dred per cent, to be paid into the royal treasury upon 



THE PROPOSED TREATY WITH SPAIN. 307 

this prime necessity of life. This one example is 
sufficient to illustrate her policy, which is to extort 
from the Cubans every possible cent that can be ob- 
tained. The extraordinary taxation imposed upon 
their subjects by the German and Austrian govern- 
ments is carried to the very limit, it would seem, of 
endurance, but taxation in Cuba goes far beyond any- 
thing of the sort in Europe. Spain now asks us to 
execute with her a " favorable " reciprocity treaty. 
Such a treaty as she proposes would be of very great 
benefit to Spain, no doubt, but of none, or compara- 
tively none, to us. Whatever we seemingly do for 
Cuba in the matter of such a treaty we should do 
indirectly for Spain. She it is who will reap all the 
benefit. She has still upon her hands some fifty to 
sixty thousand civil and military individuals, who are 
supported by a miserable system of exaction as high 
and petty officials in this misgoverned island. 

It is for the interest of this army of locusts in pos- 
session to keep up the present state of affairs, — it is 
bread and butter to them, though it be death to the 
Cubans. Relieved of the enormous taxation and op- 
pression generally which her people labor under in 
every department of life, Cuba would gradually as- 
sume a condition of thrift and plenty. But while 
she is so trodden upon, so robbed in order to support 
in luxury a host of rapacious Spaniards, and forbid- 
den any voice in the control of her own affairs, all 
the treaty concessions which we could make to Spain 
would only serve to keep up and perpetuate the great 
farce. Such a treaty as is proposed would be in 
reality granting to Spain a subsidy of about thirty 
million dollars per annum ! This conclusion was ar- 
rived at after consultation with three of the principal 



308 DUE SOUTH. 

United States consuls on the island. Cuba purchases 
very little from us ; she has not a consuming popula- 
tion of over three hundred thousand. The common 
people, negroes, and Chinese do not each expend five 
dollars a year for clothing. Rice, codfish, and dried 
beef, with the abundant fruits, form their support. 
Little or none of these come from the United States. 
The few consumers wear goods which we cannot, or 
at least do not produce. A reciprocity treaty with 
such a people means, therefore, giving them a splen- 
did annual subsidy. 

Taxed by the government to the very last extreme, 
the landlords, shopkeepers, and all others who work 
for hire have also learned the trick of it, and practice 
a similar game on every possible victim. Seeing a 
small desirable text book in a shop on the Calle de 
Obrapia, we asked the price. 

" Two dollars, gold, senor," was the answer. 

" Why do you charge just double the price one 
would pay for it in Madrid, Paris, or New York ? " 
we asked. 

" Because we are so heavily taxed/' was the reply, 
and the shopman went on to illustrate. 

Each small retail store is taxed three hundred dol- 
lars for the right to do business. As the store in- 
creases in size and importance the tax is increased. 
A new tax of six per cent, on the amount of all other 
taxation has just been added, to cover the cost of 
collecting the whole ! A war tax of twenty-five per 
cent, upon incomes was laid in 1868, and though the 
war has been ended ten years it is still collected. 
Every citizen or resident in Havana is obliged to sup- 
ply himself with a document which is called a cedula, 
or paper of identification, at an annual cost of five 



SOME ITEMS OF TAXATION. 309 

dollars in gold. Every merchant who places a sign 
outside of his door is taxed so much per letter annu- 
ally. Clerks in private establishments have to pay 
two and one half per cent, of their quarterly salaries 
to government. Railroads pay a tax of ten per cent, 
upon all passage money received, and the same on all 
freight money. Petty officials invent and impose 
fines upon the citizens for the most trifling things, 
and strangers are mulcted in various sums of money 
whenever a chance occurs, generally liquidating the 
demand rather than to be at the cost of time and 
money to contest their rights. The very beggars in 
the streets, blind, lame, or diseased, if found in pos- 
session of money, are forced to share it with officials 
on some outrageous pretext. All these things taken 
into consideration show us why the shopkeeper of 
Havana must charge double price for his merchandise. 
We have only named a few items of taxation which 
happen to occur to us, and which only form a com- 
mencement of the long list. 

It is nearly impossible at present to collect a note 
or an account on the island. Several of the guests 
at the Telegrafo had come from the United States 
solely upon these fruitless errands, each having the 
same experience to relate. Dishonest debtors take 
advantage of the general state of bankruptcy which 
exists, and plead utter inability to meet their obliga- 
tions, while others, who would gladly pay their honest 
debts if it were possible, have not the means to do so. 

There is considerable counterfeit paper money in 
circulation, and we were told that the banks of the 
city of Havana actually paid it out knowingly over 
their own counters, mixed in with genuine bills, — a 
presumed perquisite of the bank officers ! This un- 



310 DUE SOUTH. 

precedented fraud was not put a stop to until the 
merchants and private bankers threatened to have the 
doors of the banks closed by popular force if the out- 
rage was longer continued. Could such a public 
fraud be carried on under any other than a Spanish 
government ? It is not pleasant to record the fact, 
but it is nevertheless true that the Spaniards in Cuba 
are artful, untruthful, unreliable even in small things, 
with no apparent sense of honor, and seeking just 
now mainly how they can best avoid their honest obli- 
gations. As evil communications are contagious, the 
Cubans have become more or less impregnated with 
this spirit of commercial dishonesty. It must be ad- 
mitted that of true, conscientious principles neither 
party has any to spare. 

The writer has often been asked about Moro Cas- 
tle. Much has been said about its " impregnable " 
character, but modern military science will not recog- 
nize any such theory. A thousand chances are liable 
to happen, any one of which might give the place into 
the hands of an invading force. Has it not already 
been twice taken ? Though it may be said that 
auxiliary forts have been added since those expe- 
riences, nevertheless modern artillery would make 
but short work of the boasted defenses of Havana, 
and would knock the metropolis itself all to pieces in 
a few hours, while lying out of range from Moro Cas- 
tle. No invading force need attack from the seaward 
side, unless it should be found particularly desirable 
to do so. The place could be easily taken, as the 
French took Algiers, by landing a sufficient force in 
the rear. With the exception of the fortresses in and 
about Havana, the island, with its two thousand miles 
of coast line and nearly one hundred accessible har- 



CUBA'S POLITICAL AFFINITY. 311 

bors, is certainly very poorly prepared to resist an 
invading enemy. Cuba's boasted military or defen- 
sive strength is chimerical. 

That the island naturally belongs to this country 
is a fact so plain as to have been conceded by all 
authorities. In this connection one is forcibly re- 
minded of the words of Jefferson in a letter to Presi- 
dent Monroe, so long ago as 1823, wherein he says : 
" I candidly confess that I have ever looked on Cuba 
as the most interesting addition which could be made 
to our system of States. The control which, with 
Florida Point, this island would give us over the Gulf 
of Mexico and the countries and the isthmus border- 
ing it, would fill up the measure of our political well- 
being." Is it generally known that Cuba was once 
freely offered to this government ? During the presi- 
dency of Jefferson, while Spain was bowed beneath 
the yoke of France, the people of the island, feeling 
themselves incompetent to maintain their indepen- 
dence, sent a deputation to Washington city propos- 
ing its annexation to the federal system of North 
America. The President, however, declined to even 
consider the proffered acquisition. Again, in 1848, 
President Polk authorized our minister at Madrid 
to offer a hundred million dollars for a fee simple of 
the island, but it was rejected by Spain. 

Completely divided against itself, the mystery is 
how Cuba has been so long sustained in its present 
system. Spain has crowded regiment after regiment 
of her army into the island. It was like pouring 
water into a sieve, the troops being absorbed by death 
almost as fast as they could be landed. The com- 
bined slaughter brought about by patriot bullets, 
hardships, exposure, fever, and every possible adverse 



/■ 



312 DUE SOUTH. 

J 

circumstance has been enormous beyond belief. In 
spite of all this sacrifice of human life, besides mil- 
lions of gold expended annually, what does Spain 
gain by holding tenaciously to her title of the island ? 
Nothing, absolutely nothing. The time has long 
passed when the system of extortion enforced upon 
the Cubans served to recuperate the royal treasury. 
The tide has entirely changed in this respect, and 
though the taxation has been increased, still the home 
government is mulcted in the sum of six or eight mil- 
lions of dollars annually to keep up the present worse 
than useless system. The deficit of the Cuban 
budget for the present year, as we were credibly in- 
formed, could not be less than eight millions of dol- 
lars. How is Spain to meet this continuous drain 
upon her resources ? She is already financially bank- 
rupt. It is in this political strait that she seeks a 
one-sided treaty with the United States, by means of 
which she hopes to eke out her possession of the isl- 
and a few years longer, through our liberality, — a 
treaty by which she would gain some thirty millions 
of dollars annually, and we should be just so much 
the poorer. 

As regards the final destiny of Cuba, that question 
will be settled by certain economic laws which, are as 
sure in their operation as are those of gravitation. 
No matter what our wishes may be in the matter, 
such individual desires are as nothing when arraigned 
against natural laws. The commerce of the island is 
a stronger factor in the problem than mere politics ; 
it is the active agent of civilization all over the world. 
It is not cannon, but ships ; not gunpowder, but peace- 
ful freights, which settle the great questions of mer- 
cantile communities. Krupp's hundred-ton guns will 



DESTINY OF CUBA. 313 

not control the fate of Cuba, but sugar will. We 
have only to ask ourselves, Whither does the great 
commercial interest of the island point ? It is in the 
direction in which the largest portion of her products 
find their market. If this were England, towards 
that land her industry and her people would look 
hopefully, but as it is the United States who take 
over ninety per cent, of her entire exports, towards 
the country of the Stars and Stripes she stretches out 
her hands, and asks for favorable treaties. 

At the present moment she has reached a crisis, 
where her condition is absolutely desperate. The 
hour is big with fate to the people of Cuba. As 
long as European soil will produce beets, tbe product 
of the cane will find no market on that side of the 
Atlantic. Cuba must in the future depend as much 
upon the United States as does Vermont, Mississippi, 
New York, Ohio, or any other State. The effort 
to bring about a reciprocal treaty of commerce with 
us is but the expression of a natural tendency to 
closer bonds with this country. Thus it will be 
seen that as regards her commercial existence, Cuba 
is already within the economic orbit of our Union, 
though she seems to be so far away politically. The 
world's centre of commercial gravity is changing very 
fast by reason of the great and rapid development of 
the United States, and all lands surrounding the union 
must conform to the prevailing lines of motion. 

It is with infinite reluctance that the temporary so- 
journer in Cuba leaves her delicious shores. A brief 
residence in the island passes like a midsummer night's 
dream, while the memories one brings away seem 
almost like delusive spots of the imagination. Smil- 
ing skies and smiling waters ; groves of palms and 



1/ 



314 DUE SOUTH. 

oranges; the bloom of the heliotrope, the jasmine 
and the rose ; flights of strange and gaudy birds ; 
tropic nights at once luxurious and calm ; clouds of 
fireflies floating like unsphered stars on the night 
breeze ; graceful figures of dark-eyed senoritas in di- 
aphanous drapery ; picturesque groups of Monteros, 
relieved by the dusky faces and stalwart forms of 
the sons of Africa ; undulating volantes, military pa- 
geants, ecclesiastical processions, frowning fortresses, 
grim batteries, white sails, fountains raining silver ; 
all these images mingle in brilliant kaleidoscopic 
combinations, changing and varying as the mind's eye 
seeks to fix their features. Long after his departure 
from the enchanting island, the traveler beholds 
these visions in the still watches of the night, and 
again listens to the dash of the sea-green waves at 
the foot of the Moro and the Punta, the roll of the 
drum and the crash of arms upon the ramparts, or 
hears in fancy the thrilling strains of music from 
the military band in the Paseo de Isabella. 

If it were possible to contemplate only the beauti- 
ful that nature has so prodigally lavished on this 
Eden of the Gulf, shutting out all that man has done 
and is doing to mar the blessings of heaven, while 
closing our eyes to the myriad forms of human mis- 
ery that assail them on every hand, then a visit to or 
a residence in Cuba would present a succession of 
unalloyed pleasures, delightful as a poet's dream. 
But the dark side of the picture will force itself upon 
us. The American traveler, keenly alive to the so- 
cial and political aspects of life, appreciates in full 
force the evils that challenge his observation at every 
step. If he contrasts the natural scenery with the 
familiar pictures of home, he cannot help also con- 



A BROAD CONTRAST. 315 

trasting the political condition of the people with 
that of his own country. The existence, almost under 
the shadow of the flag of the freest institutions the 
earth ever knew, of a government as purely despotic 
as that of the autocrat of Russia is a monstrous fact 
that must startle the most indifferent observer. 

To go hence to Cuba is not merely to pass over a 
few degrees of latitude, — it is to take a step from the 
nineteenth century back into the dark ages. In the 
clime of sunshine and endless summer, we are in 
the land of starless political darkness. Lying under 
the lee of a land where every man is a sovereign is 
a realm where the lives, liberties, and fortunes of all 
are held at the will of a single individual, who ac- 
knowledges fealty only to a nominal ruler more than 
three thousand miles across the sea. 

In close proximity to a country where the taxes 
are self-imposed and so light as to be almost unfelt 
is one where each free family pays over five hundred 
dollars per annum, directly and indirectly, for the 
support of a system of bigoted tyranny, scarcely 
equaled elsewhere, — forming an aggregate sum of 
over twenty-six millions of dollars. For all this ex- 
tortion no equivalent is received. No representation, 
no utterance, for tongue or pen are alike proscribed ; 
no share of public honors, no office, no emolument. 
The industry of the people is crippled, their inter- 
course with other nations is hampered in every con- 
ceivable manner, and every liberal aspiration of the 
human soul stifled in its birth. Can good morals and 
Christian lives be expected of a people who are so 
down-trodden ? 

Salubrious in climate, varied in production, and 
most fortunately situated for commerce, there must 



316 DUE SOUTH. 

yet be a grand future in store for Cuba. Washed by 
the Gulf Stream on half her border, while the Missis- 
sippi pours out its riches on one side and the Amazon 
on the other, her home is naturally within our own 
constellation of stars, and some of those who read 
these pages may live to see such a consummation. 



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